The 4.3m euro (£2.9m, US$5.4m) Blue Dome has opened in Salzburg, Austria.

The 1,000sq m (10,750sq ft) centre for water research, which includes a visitor centre, is situated on the Wolfgangsee lake, in Abersee, Salzburg.

Freizeit-und Erlebniscenter Wolfgangsee – the consortium of local entrepreneurs behind the project – put up 38 per cent of the cost, 7 per cent came from public contributions and the rest was financed.

Visitors to the site will be able to discover different phenomenon related to water, such as what happens to a water drop when it hits a surface, how water interacts with music and the morphological study of water and how it compares to other living things.

The main attraction is the Blue Jet, a simulator ride where guests act as scientists onboard a flight into a thunderstorm to gather data.

Other features include the Ice Lab, which is a children’s playground set into an ice cavern, and the extensive 16,000sq m (172,200sq ft) Aussenbereich, an outside area that has been made into a mini-replica of Wolfgangsee.

There are plans to build a network of Blue Domes around the world. Details: www.bluedome.at