Museo del Calamar Gigante
Museum logo that adorned the façade of the original building (2010–2014) | |
| Established | 13 August 2010 (reopened at new location on 15 July 2022) |
|---|---|
| Location | Calle Nicanor del Campo, Luarca, Asturias, Spain (current location); Paseo del Muelle 25, Luarca, Asturias, Spain (original location) |
| Coordinates | 43°32′27.5″N 6°32′19.5″W / 43.540972°N 6.538750°W (current location); 43°32′52.4″N 6°32′2.4″W / 43.547889°N 6.534000°W (original location) |
| Type | Natural history museum |
| Collections | Giant squid and other cephalopods, other marine life |
| Visitors | almost 25,000 (2013) |
| Director | Luis Laria (2010–2014) |
| Website | Official website |
Museo del Calamar Gigante (Spanish pronunciation: [muˈseo ðel kalaˈmaɾ xiˈɣante]; lit. 'Giant Squid Museum') is a natural history museum located in Luarca, Asturias, Spain.
The original museum, opened in 2010, was administered by the marine conservation group CEPESMA and held the association's cephalopod collections together with other marine exhibits. It was described as the only museum in the world dedicated to the giant squid (Architeuthis dux) and held one of the world's most important collections of large cephalopods, including the largest collection of giant squid on public display.
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. 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.