Rather than a mainly scientific aquarium such as the one in Bergen in the Norwegian midlands, Polaria, which opened in May 1998, is designed to be an educational experience, with particular emphasis on displays for children.

The seal enclosure has observation blisters set into its sides, so that visitors can look up at the animals from underneath, and a submerged walkway in a transparent tunnel across the bottom, allowing close access to the animals in their natural environment.

Its striking design represents ice floes that have been pressed up on land by the rough seas of the Arctic or pressure ridges.

This attractive piece of modern architecture echoes the Arctic Cathedral across the harbour in Tromsdalen on the mainland.

One of Norway's most famous and successful seal hunting ships, the Polstjerna (T-80-T) has been preserved in a separate museum building less than a hundred metres away from Polaria.