The unique World of Jellyfish was opened to the public in the Arkády Pankrác shopping center in Prague. Yes, you're reading it correctly, and don't think that what awaits you here are just animated projections or photos. On the roof of the shopping center, you will find representatives of the rarest still-living jellyfish species. These transparent sea creatures will enchant you with their beautiful colors, but they will also win your respect for their deadly toxicity. Thanks to the fact that the World of Jellyfish hosts ten thousand jellyfish, Prague can boast the status of the largest medusarium in Europe.
"The cooperation with a popular shopping center enabled the realization of a unique construction project - an independent superstructure, the building of which, from the very beginning, has been driven by the objective to create an environment, where visitors will have the opportunity to get closer to these inhabitants of the seas and learn as much information about them as possible."
If you decide to visit the exhibition, you can look forward to 38 design aquariums which will grant you the opportunity to inspect 10 000 specimens in detail. These include a giant spherical aquarium that aspires for the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest jellyfish aquarium.
"The fact that jellyfish aquariums always have a spherical shape has a reason," explains Vedral: "They have a specific way of spatial orientation, they basically just float through water. If they were enclosed in a cubical or cuboid aquarium, there would be a risk of them getting stuck, which could put their lives in serious danger."
Thanks to specially designed interiors, you will feel as though you were below sea level in the World of Jellyfish. The medusarium also features 3D projections with rich audiovisual effects and unique lighting elements generated by the individual aquariums.
Jellyfish live in the seas and oceans around the entire world. Their bell-shaped body is made up of 97 % water and can be classified into the phylum Cnidaria. They use long tentacles as an essential tool for survival, which release poisonous substances, thus killing not only their potential aquatic enemy, but also humans.
In the Prague World of Jellyfish, you will be able to see even the most poisonous jellyfish in the world, Chironex fleckeri, which can be easily overlooked in the water. The sticky, long and thin tentacles of these creatures are equipped with a large number of incandescent cells. After getting stung by their tentacles, the swimmers experience immense burning pain that often leads to swelling, shock and subsequent drowning.