The history of whaling in the Azores is displayed in an interesting way at the Museu da Fábrica da Baleia do Boquerão located on the island of Flores, in the main city of Santa Cruz. Whaling was once of great importance to the people of the Azores. Although commercial whaling is no longer carried out, whales are still seen around the islands.
The museum is housed in an old whaling factory. The first thing we see is the large sperm whale lying at the entrance, cut in half. He is made of papier mache, but he has the size of a living whale. Inside the factory, the last living whale was dissected in 1981 and the factory was closed down.
One section is devoted to the heroes of the time - the whalers. They sat on their observation posts at the top of a volcano in order to spott whales with large binoculars. When they saw whales they fired rockets so the whaling boats could see where the whales were.
Sperm whales can be seen all year round. The reason why this particular whale was popular is that its cod liver oil was valuable as lamp oil. Another interesting thing is that the sperm whale is the only species of whale that can stay afloat after it dies. This fact makes it easier for the whalers to transport it to shore.
But much of the old equipment is still here. Whaling's importance was gradually reduced from the 1950s. Apparently, there was no longer such a great need for the oil for lamps. Electricity had long since been introduced. In 1986, commercial hunting came to an end. I read somewhere that the world has 86 species of whales and 25 of these can be found outside and around the Azores. Maybe that explanes the many companies organizing whale safaries.
The whale that is outside has an open piece on the back. Inside the window are two men / figures who are dismembering the whale.
The museum is not big, but to spend one to two hours is time well spent. It's located close to the airport so it was convenient to visit while waiting for the flight.
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Kristiansand, Norway
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