Nausicaa Centre National de la Mer

Nausicaā Centre National de la Mer is a public aquarium located in Boulogne-sur-Mer in France. It is one of the largest public aquariums of Europe.Nausicaa is described as a Center of scientific and technical discovery of the marine environment, focusing primarily on the relationship between man and the sea.

The idea for the aquarium started when Guy Lengagne, then mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer, wanted to repurpose an old casino. In 1982, oceanographers Philippe Vallette, Stéphane Henard, and Christophe Liacopoulos were tasked with a preliminary study, and eventually with implementing the project.In 1984 a non-profit association was created for the aquarium, and Jacques Rougerie was selected as architect for the facility.