Travel Notes

In December, Russia’s Museum of World Oceans was set to unveil a new building, “Depth,” which includes one of the world’s largest sperm whale skeletons, plus myriad pieces of deep-sea equipment and, among other things, the Mir-1 submersible used in filming Titanic.

Developed in the late 1980s for scientific research, Mir vessels have traveled the globe and been used on dives in Lake Baikal, on rescue operations (including for the Kursk submarine), and even to plant the Russian flag on the Arctic shelf. To include the submersible in the building, the museum had to install industrial-strength floors and enormous exterior doors, so that the Mir can exit its new home to travel on research missions.

The Museum of World Oceans in Kaliningrad includes several buildings, as well as a full-sized submarine and ship. Tickets cost 400R for adults and are free to children under 16. world-ocean.ru