A whale you can walk into?? 🐋 Only in Gothenburg.   In 1865, a young blue whale washed ashore on the Swedish west coast. Sadly, it had to be killed, as it was deemed the humane alternative at the time.   Then followed quite a strange preservation project: the whale was skinned, mounted on a wooden frame, and turned into a walk-in exhibit – complete with benches and wallpaper.   For many years, visitors could step inside its belly. It was first toured around Stockholm and Germany, then later got a set location in Gothenburg.   Today, the whale rests at the Natural History Museum in Gothenburg – placed right next to its towering skeleton!   These days, you can’t walk into the whale quite as often. It’s only ‘open’ on a few rare and quirky occasions: during the West Coast Sea Week 🌊, on Walpurgis Night (Valborg) 🔥 – and every four years during the Swedish parliamentary elections 🗳️, thanks to a delightful pun. ‘Val’ means both ‘election’ and ‘whale’ in Swedish!   Photos: (1, 3) Walter...