Every time I find myself in an aquarium, I can't help but think about how impossible they seem.

For me to stand firmly on land while surrounded by thousands, sometimes millions of gallons of water, all held back by a few

clear panels, it feels like something that we shouldn't be able to do. I know, I know. These things are

more complicated than they seem. The first modern aquarium was

built around 170 years ago at the London Zoo and since then aquariums have grown

larger and more sophisticated.

There are multi-million gallon tanks that can house large sharks and high-pressure tanks that can replicate the conditions of the deep sea.

These are built to exacting standards, not only to protect the aquatic life within, but also to keep us on the other side of the glass safe.

But a few years ago, one of these structures, a particularly unique one that sat in the middle of a Berlin hotel,

failed in a spectacular fashion.

I'm Michelle Cassidy and this is Atlas Obscura, a podcast about the world's strange and

wondrous places. Most of the time we bring you stories of places that you could go see in real life if you really wanted to.

But today there's a catch.

Places editor, Diana Hubble and I are bringing you the stories of two places that you can no longer go, at least not in their original forms.

First, let's go to the aquedome. You're going to be. From the time it opened in 2003, the Aquedome Drueen admirers from all over the world.

It stood in the middle of the Radisson Hotel Lobby in Berlin, and though the name suggests

a dome shape, it was actually a six-story cylinder that rose through the middle of the

hotel lobby.

It cost 12.8 million euros to build and claimed to be the world's largest

freestanding cylindrical aquarium. You could watch the fish swim while sitting at the

bar in the hotel lobby or book a room with windows facing the atrium to watch the water from bed.

One of the biggest draws was the clear walled elevator that traveled through the center of the tank.

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