March 4, 2026
Whale of a take
Malm Whale in Gothenburg
From grisly beaching to “party in a whale” — commenters torn
TLDR: A 19th‑century beached blue whale was killed, preserved whole, and turned into a walk‑in museum piece that once hosted a clandestine couple. Commenters split between outrage at the cruelty and jokes about “party in whale,” debating history, taste, and whether that pun could ever be real.
The Malm Whale is back in the spotlight, and the comments are having a full-on feelings fest. The 1865 tale is rough: a beached blue whale was brutally killed, then taxidermist August Wilhelm Malm hauled the whole thing to Gothenburg, lectured from its head, and turned it into a walk‑in exhibit with benches and carpet. It toured Europe before settling at the museum, where the jaw once stayed open—until a 1930s couple was caught getting frisky inside, so now it’s only opened on special occasions. Cue community whiplash: some readers, like pottertheotter, are stunned by the cruelty, others are fascinated by the showmanship. Then the thread swerved into meme country. User amarant fired off a pun that had everyone giggling: could “festival” secretly be Swedish “fest i val” (party in whale)? Linguists rolled their eyes, but the crowd couldn’t resist, dubbing the exhibit “Jonah’s Airbnb” and imagining election‑day raves in a cetacean lounge. Between shock, snark, and side‑eye, the mood is a mix of “this is horrifying” and “this is history,” with a sprinkle of “this would be a killer field trip.” Want the full saga? Dive into the Atlas Obscura rabbit hole for the whale of it all.
Key Points
- •In 1865, a blue whale stranded at Askim Bay near Göteborg and was killed by local fishermen.
- •Museum curator August Wilhelm Malm purchased the whale and arranged intact transport to Gothenburg using steamboats and coal barges.
- •Malm preserved the organs, treated the skin, salted the baleen, cleaned the skeleton, and built a wooden frame with a hinged jaw covered by the skin.
- •The exhibit was designed as a walk-in display with benches and furnishings, toured Europe, and now resides at the Göteborg Natural History Museum.
- •After a 1930s incident, the museum restricted opening the whale’s jaw to special occasions; visitors should check the museum website for hours and admissions.