Floating Whales Beneath the Abbey Roof – You Couldn't Make It Up. Engineers Can!

Exhibition on Civil Engineering

The MEERESMUSEUM in Stralsund underwent modernisation. Engineers played a crucial role in this process. They made it possible for the whales, sharks, and other exhibits to hang once more beneath the Katharinenhalle’s abbey roof.

Thus, engineers are true visionaries: they design ideas and solutions for our built environment. Furthermore, they plan and coordinate construction projects. Their work ensures that buildings, bridges and roads are constructed safely and to last. The Ingenieurkammer (Chamber of Engineers) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern represents this professional group in the region. It champions quality, safety and the development of young engineering talent.

The exhibition focuses on the role of engineers during the conversion of the MEERESMUSEUM in Stralsund. It showcases the diversity of the profession, from initial drafts to finished constructions.

A look at the past: in 1951, a small collection moved into the former St Catherine's Abbey in Stralsund to become a municipal natural history museum. Over time, the institution grew to become the internationally recognised Museum of Oceanography and Fisheries of the GDR. Following German reunification, the museum was transferred to a foundation in 1994 and was renamed the German Oceanographic Museum (Deutsches Meeresmuseum) in 1998. Extensive modernisation of the MEERESMUSEUM in Stralsund took place from 2020 to 2024. This was necessary to update the exhibitions and aquaria. The work also ensured that the museum met modern standards for accessibility, energy efficiency and overall modernity throughout the visitor experience.

The exhibition has been organised in cooperation with the following institutions: the Ingenieurkammer Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Deutsches Meeresmuseum (German Maritime Museum), the BLU (Building, Landscape, Environment) study concept of the Universities of Wismar and Neubrandenburg, the University of Rostock, and the Technisches Landesmuseum Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.