Museo del Calamar Gigante
Natural history museum in Asturias, Spain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Museo del Calamar Gigante (Spanish pronunciation: [muˈseo ðel kalaˈmaɾ xiˈɣante]; lit. 'Giant Squid Museum')[nb 2] is a natural history museum located in Luarca, Asturias, Spain.[2]
![]() Museum logo that adorned the façade of the original building (2010–2014) | |
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Established | 13 August 2010 (2010-08-13)[1] (reopened at new location on 15 July 2022)[2] |
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Location | Calle Nicanor del Campo, Luarca, Asturias, Spain[3] (current location); Paseo del Muelle 25, Luarca, Asturias, Spain[4] (original location) |
Coordinates | 43°32′27.5″N 6°32′19.5″W (current location); 43°32′52.4″N 6°32′2.4″W (original location) |
Type | Natural history museum |
Collections | Giant squid and other cephalopods, other marine life |
Visitors | almost 25,000 (2013)[5][nb 1] |
Director | Luis Laria (2010–2014)[8] |
Website | Official website |
The original museum, opened in 2010, was administered by the marine conservation group CEPESMA [es][nb 3] and held the association's cephalopod collections together with other marine exhibits.[9][11] It was described as the only museum in the world dedicated to the giant squid (Architeuthis dux)[7][12][nb 4] and held one of the world's most important collections of large cephalopods,[14][15] including the largest collection of giant squid on public display.[16]
Opened in August 2010, the museum was badly damaged by a storm in November of the same year and largely destroyed by another storm in February 2014. As the museum had been a major tourist attraction and an important contributor to Luarca's economy, there was strong local support for its reconstruction or relocation.[7][5][17][18] After several years without progress, two proposals for relocation—first to an adjacent warehouse and later to a former cinema—were put forward and then abandoned, before the local government settled on a plan to move the museum to a former nightclub. It reopened on 15 July 2022.[2]