Van Kleef Aquarium
Encyclopedia
Van Kleef Aquarium was an oceanarium
located in Fort Canning Park facing River Valley Road in Singapore
. The aquarium was opened in September 1955 and demolished in 1998. The aquarium was named after Karl Willem Benjamin Van Kleef who was Dutch but resided in Singapore in the 19th and early 20th century. Van Kleef donated his fortune to the Singaporean government to build the aquarium after his death. When the aquarium opened it contained 6,500 marine creatures of 180 different species. There were salt water, fresh water and swamp water tanks. The building was fully air-conditioned. 270,000 visitors came in its first year of operation. During the 1970s the average number of visitors was about 400,000 annually. Visitor numbers fell to 248,000 in 1985. The aquarium underwent major renovations from 1986 to 1987. The aquarium was closed during the renovations which cost S$ 750,000. Unfortunately the number of visitors never reached the peak of the 1970s again. In 1991 Underwater World
opened on Sentosa
island. Most visitors went to the new aquarium. This led to the decision by the Ministry of National Development of Singapore to close the Van Kleef Aquarium in 1991. The building was demolished in 1996.
Oceanarium
An oceanarium can be either a marine mammal park, such as Marineland of Florida, or a large-scale aquarium, such as the Lisbon Oceanarium, presenting an ocean habitat with marine animals, especially large ocean dwellers such as sharks.- Marine mammal parks :...
located in Fort Canning Park facing River Valley Road in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The aquarium was opened in September 1955 and demolished in 1998. The aquarium was named after Karl Willem Benjamin Van Kleef who was Dutch but resided in Singapore in the 19th and early 20th century. Van Kleef donated his fortune to the Singaporean government to build the aquarium after his death. When the aquarium opened it contained 6,500 marine creatures of 180 different species. There were salt water, fresh water and swamp water tanks. The building was fully air-conditioned. 270,000 visitors came in its first year of operation. During the 1970s the average number of visitors was about 400,000 annually. Visitor numbers fell to 248,000 in 1985. The aquarium underwent major renovations from 1986 to 1987. The aquarium was closed during the renovations which cost S$ 750,000. Unfortunately the number of visitors never reached the peak of the 1970s again. In 1991 Underwater World
Underwater World, Singapore
Underwater World , also known as Underwater World Singapore Pte Ltd, is an oceanarium located on the offshore Singaporean island of Sentosa. Opened in 1991, it has more than 2,500 marine animals of 250 species from different regions of the world. The oceanarium is mostly underground and it is owned...
opened on Sentosa
Sentosa
Sentosa, which translates to peace and tranquility in Malay , is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people a year...
island. Most visitors went to the new aquarium. This led to the decision by the Ministry of National Development of Singapore to close the Van Kleef Aquarium in 1991. The building was demolished in 1996.
List of animals in Van Kleef Aquarium
- Sharks
- Stone fish
- Piranhas
- Crocodiles
- Sea-snakes
- Electric Eels