Multimar Wattforum
National park center in Tönning with a large aquarium, a whale house, an otter facility and an interactive exhibition on the World Natural Heritage Wadden Sea.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
After the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park was founded in 1985, a large information center was long missing. Planning for a building that combines an aquarium and an exhibition, and shows research in the Wadden Sea, began in the early 1990s. The city of Tönning provided a site by the harbor, and the architectural competition was won by the design from Groth+Partner, with a glass facade facing the Eider estuary.
The foundation stone was laid on September 9, 1997, and the Multimar Wattforum opened on June 9, 1999. The triangular building was designed to be expandable from the start. Because visitor numbers exceeded expectations, the Walhaus (whale house) was built around a real sperm whale skeleton by 2006, partly triggered by sperm whales stranding off Röm.
A further expansion opened in 2008: 1,500 square meters of additional exhibition space, a two-story saltwater aquarium and freshwater tanks with migratory fish such as sturgeon. Since 2008 the Schleswig-Holstein state agency for coastal protection, national park and marine protection (Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz, Nationalpark und Meeresschutz) has operated the exhibition; the outdoor area received a play landscape with a climbing whale.
In June 2023 the fifth major expansion came: the exhibition "Watt.Land.Fluss." with an otter facility and 2,000 square meters of outdoor area between the main building and the harbor. The permanent exhibition was also thoroughly renewed.
Highlights
- Large aquarium with a panoramic window and diver feeding
- Whale house with a sperm whale skeleton and life-size model
- Otter facility with outdoor area and underwater viewing
- Over 280 species in the Wadden Sea and North Sea aquariums
- Hands-on stations, playground with climbing whale and water features
Permanent exhibitions
- Weltnaturerbe Wattenmeer – Interactive exhibition on the national park, tides and the Wadden Sea habitat, with games, media stations and aquariums.
- Walhaus – Life and endangerment of whales in the North and Baltic Seas and worldwide; the centerpiece is a sperm whale skeleton with a model shown as a half-shell.
- Watt.Land.Fluss. mit Fischotteranlage – Exhibition on the connection between the mainland and the North Sea, with native fish species and an outdoor enclosure for otters.
- Founded
- 1999
- Operated by
- Landesbetrieb für Küstenschutz, Nationalpark und Meeresschutz Schleswig-Holstein
- Director
- Marén Bökamp-Hamkens
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €15 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €12Pensioners, students, school students from age 17, apprentices, vocational school students, participants in the Federal Volunteer Service (Bundesfreiwilligendienst), recipients of benefits, and people with a severe disability ID (in each case with proof) |
| Children & teens | €9free up to age 3 · Children aged 4 through 16; with severe disability ID €4 |
| Seniors | €12Pensioners with proof (reduced) |
| Visitors with disabilities | €12With severe disability ID; children €4 |
| Students & apprentices | €12Students, apprentices and school students aged 17 and over, with proof |
| Groups (20+ people) | €12 per personAdult groups from 20 people €12 per person; children's groups and school classes of general schools from 10 people €4 per person; registration mandatory |
| Families | €40Two adults with their own children or grandchildren up to and including age 16 |
| Annual pass for adults | €64Valid for twelve months; children €40, family €150; half price during the annual discount campaign (usually December 1 to January 6) |
| Combined ticket Multimar and Seehundstation Friedrichskoog (seal station) | €22Children (ages 4–16) €15.40, family €60 |
| Combined ticket Multimar and Westküstenpark St. Peter-Ording | €25Children (ages 4–15) €16, family with two children €73 |
Free admission: Free admission on your birthday (with photo ID)
Guided exhibition tours for groups: from 10 people €3 per person; smaller groups a flat €32 (in each case plus admission). Tickets can also be booked online.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials
- Audio description: no information
All rooms are step-free, all floors are reachable by elevator, there is an accessible toilet on the upper floor, and a loaner wheelchair is available at the ticket desk. Explanations in Braille and Pyramid script (tactile writing) at the aquariums and at the entrance to the whale exhibition. Listening pen (Hörstift) as an audio guide for the whale exhibition. Research tour in plain language (Leichte Sprache) for groups. Movable seating in the exhibition. Assistance dogs are allowed; other dogs are not.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 3 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 3 |
| Family ticket | €40 · Two adults with their own children or grandchildren up to and including age 16 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Hands-on stations
- Stroller-friendly
- Baby changing facilities
- Playground / play area
- Kids’ birthday parties
Many hands-on and experiment stations, a toddler area with books, a ball pit and a pirate grotto, a rally sheet (€1, about 1 hour), an outdoor playground with a climbing whale and water features, and picnic areas. Diaper changing tables in the toilets on the upper floor. Research labs and activities during school holidays.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bahnhof Tönning · 15-min walk
Tönning train station (hourly trains to and from Husum and St. Peter-Ording); Nordfriesland on-demand bus (Rufbus, Eiderstedt route) with a stop at the parking lot; book at least 90 minutes in advance.
By car
Free parking · 400 m to the entrance
Free guest parking at Dithmarscher Straße 6a (navigation address), about a 400 m walk to the main entrance. Two accessible parking spaces directly at the building, reached via the harbor ("Am Robbenberg"). Bicycles can be parked at the main entrance by the dike.
- Accessible parking
By car via the B 5 to Tönning; the route is signposted. Package deal including train travel, admission and lunch via the national park partner Regiomaris.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
- Wi-Fi
Multimar restaurant inside the exhibition with about 120 seats, a view of the Eider and a terrace with wicker beach chairs; for exhibition visitors only. Shop with specialist books, children's books and souvenirs. Cloakrooms in the exhibition; lockers in the entrance area (€1 deposit).
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
- Weddings / ceremonies
Up to 400 guests.
Seminar room (up to 50 people), group room (24), multimedia room (80) and the forum in front of the large aquarium (about 85), as well as weddings in front of the large aquarium and children's birthday parties. Rooms can be booked only together with admission tickets; prices on request. Catering via the Multimar restaurant.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography allowed; at the aquariums without flash |
| Good to know | Most guests stay two to three hours. Group tours from 10 people by registration, also in Low German (Plattdeutsch) or English, plus the aquarium tour "Nordsee bei Nacht" (North Sea by Night). Twice a week a diver feeds the large aquarium. Group registration by phone is mandatory: tel. 04861 96200. |
