Ozeaneum

The Ozeaneum on Stralsund's historic harbour is a marine natural history museum operated by the Deutsches Meeresmuseum foundation, covering ecosystems from the Baltic coast to the deep Atlantic. Opened in 2008, its modernist cubic structures rise directly from the waterfront and earned the title of European Museum of the Year in its opening year. The highlight is a vast hall featuring life-size models of a humpback whale and a giant squid, giving visitors a visceral sense of deep-sea scale. Large aquariums display North Sea and Baltic species — herring shoals, rays, and wolffish among them. The museum is fully wheelchair accessible and open daily from 9:30, with extended evening hours through the summer months.