The American Visionary Arts Museum celebrates artwork created by
self-taught individuals in its spacious gallery with over 4,000 pieces in the
permanent collection. The adjacent Jim Rouse Visionary Center houses the
museum’s oversized sculptures, art cars and screen paintings, a Baltimore
specialty.
If the truth is out there, the UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell
has the goods to support the argument. Both believers and skeptics can enter
the great debate at this museum, which contains memorabilia from the highly
debated flying-saucer crash in Roswell in 1947 and the alleged government
cover-up as well as information on related otherworldly phenomena.
While Amsterdam’s Sex Museum is suitable only for an adult audience, the
exhibits at the oldest sex museum are more cultural than raunchy. In a city
known for its booming Red Light district and live sex shows, this museum is
filled with paintings, photos, sculptures and other memorabilia that celebrate
the history of sex through the ages from the early days of Greek and Roman gods
to historic figures like the notorious Italian lover Casanova and Russia’s
Catherine the Great who was considered a nymphomaniac.
Located a few blocks from DC’s main museum corridor along the National
Mall, the International Spy Museum is the only museum in the world devoted to
espionage. Learn the tricks and trades of spies, both historic and fictitious,
with plenty of hands-on and interactive exhibits that appeal to history buffs,
gear fanatics and kids of all ages.
What started in the basement of a private home in Boston has grown to
nearly 500 pieces of the best of the worst art around. This collection of art
that is “too bad to be ignored” now has an online presence with a virtual
gallery and 3 permanent locations at the Dedham Community Theater, Somerville
Theatre and Brookline Access Television. Got some of your own bad art
collecting dust in the attic? MOBA is happy to accept donations of painfully
hideous art so long as it’s original and, well, downright bad.
You don’t need a sweet tooth to enjoy the quirky collection of vintage
Pez dispensers at Burlingame’s Pez Museum just 10 miles south of San
Francisco’s airport. Be sure to see how you measure up next to the World’s
Largest Pez Dispenser, a behemoth snowman measuring in at 7 feet, 20 inches
tall—over 20 times bigger than a typical Pez dispenser.
Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak offers a study of this essential, though rarely
celebrated, subject at the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets in New Delhi.
The exhibits review the historic evolution of the toilet and looks at how
toilets vary around the world.
Once the site of the Ringling Bros. Circus winter quarters in Baraboo,
WI, Circus World pays homage to the original Ringlingville and the art of the
performance at Circus World. In addition to shows under the Big Top and a
collection of historic circus wagons, the Circus Museum tells the story of the
circus and its impact on American culture with exhibits of old circus
advertisements, artifacts, sideshow banners and costumes.
Plenty of museums have replicas of dinosaurs, but the Garbage Museum’s
Trash-o-saurus is an extra-special dinosaur made from a ton of trash—the
estimated amount that the average person generates each year. Visitors can gain
unique perspective on Connecticut’s garbage by walking through a giant compost
pile and following the recycling process from start to finish.
The Hall of Flame in Phoenix, AZ, celebrates the noble history of
firefighting in 6 galleries, featuring dozens of restored fire trucks dating
back to the 1920s and the country’s only gallery dedicated to wilderness
firefighting. Pay your respects in the National Hall of Heroes where the walls
are lined with the names of thousands of American firefighters killed in the
line of duty since 1981 with an additional 9/11 memorial remembering the fallen
firefighters and police officers.
The Meguro Parasitological Museum appeals to a true niche
audience—science fanatics looking to learn more about parasites. This research
facility is the only one in the world that invites guests inside to explore
exhibits on parasites and their life cycles with over 300 actual specimens on
display.
In honor of International Museum Day, a
look at the wackiest exhibitions across the globe, featuring everything from
toilets to instant noodles
If the word “museum” conjures up
images of stuffy corridors full of highfalutin culture, you’ll be happy to
learn that plenty of the world’s museums are, in fact, wonderfully weird
tributes to highly specific topics and bizarre artifacts.
So, to celebrate International
Museum Day, we present 10 museums around the world that are anything but
mundane.
1. Icelandic Phallological Museum
Reykjavik, Iceland
If the name didn’t tip you off,
this museum is dedicated to all things penile. According to its website, it houses more than 215 penises and penile
parts belonging to almost all the land and sea mammals found in Iceland. Be
sure not to miss the special section dedicated to whale penises.
2. The Museum of Bad Art
Brookline and Somerville,
Massachusetts, USA
Known as MOBA for short, this
museum touts
itself as “the world’s
only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and
celebration of bad art in all its forms.” Why waste your time at art museums
showcasing quality art, that will only makes you feel untalented? As you stroll
through MOBA, you’ll grow more and more confident about your own artistic
abilities. All the pieces “range from the work of talented artists that have
gone awry to works of exuberant, although crude, execution by artists barely in
control of the brush.”
3. Sulabh International Museum Of Toilets
New Delhi, India
Ever wanted to learn about the
entire evolution of toilets throughout human history? Then get yourself to
India to visit this
museum, which traces the history of the toilet for the past 4,500
years. From simple chamber pots to elaborate decorated Victorian toilet seats,
you’ll see it all. There’s even a toilet disguised as a bookcase.
4. Avanos Hair
Museum
Avanos, Turkey
Want a creepier option than
toilets, penises and bad art? Look no further than this hair
museum created by
potter Chez Galip, in the rural Turkish town of Avanos. It features a huge
collection of hair gathered from more than 16,000 women, and if that doesn’t
sound creepy enough for you: it’s situated in a small, dark cave.
5. The Museum of Broken Relationships
Zagreb, Croatia
This museum evolved “from a
traveling exhibition revolving around the concept of failed relationships and
their ruins,” its website explains.
Visitors are encouraged to donate artifacts from their own broken relationships
as “a chance to overcome an emotional collapse.” You’ll see obvious artifacts —
rings, clothing, Valentine’s Day gifts — but you’ll also spot some stranger
remnants like fuzzy pink handcuffs or a wooden watermelon.
6. Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
Osaka, Japan
Millions of college students have
Momofuku Ando, creator of Cup Noodles, to thank for the cheap meal that kept
them alive for four years. The
museum, dedicated to Ando and his culinary creation, even includes an
instant ramen workshop where visitors can make their own “fresh” noodles.
7. International Cryptozoology Museum
Portland, Maine, USA
Cryptozoology is literally “the
study of hidden animals” and involves the search for animals whose existence
has not been verified, like the Yeti or Bigfoot. This museum’s collection includes
specimens and artifacts purportedly related to these types of mythical,
unverified creatures. It includes everything from hair samples, fecal matter
and native art — and it just might turn you into a Bigfoot believer.
8. Meguro Parasitological Museum
Tokyo, Japan
Learn everything you’ve ever
wanted to know about tapeworms, head lice and plenty of other parasites you’ve
probably never heard of. The
collectionboasts 300 specimens, including a 29-foot tapeworm. Not
recommended for anyone with a weak stomach.
9. Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments
Amsterdam, Netherlands
If you can forgive them for using
Comic Sans on their website, check
out this museum for its diverse collection of more than 100 torture devices.
Some you’ll look at and say, “Okay, yeah, I see how that would work.” Others
will have you scratching your head wondering how the heck they were used and
just how brutal the resulting torture was. Fun for the whole family!
10. The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum
La Crosse, Kansas, USA
Yes,
there’s really an entire
museum dedicated
to barbed wire. It features more than 2,400 varieties and explores the role
barbed wire played in the settlement of the United States. We’ll go ahead and
recommend not touching any of the displays.
There are interactive museums, and then there’s Cancun Underwater Museum
— an art exhibit that you’ll have to strap on scuba gear to appreciate. Not one
for deep-sea exploration? Shallow areas also allow for snorkeling and viewing
from a glass bottom boat. Fun fact: Each of the life-size sculptures is made of
pH-neutral clay to promote marine growth, which means that one day there’ll be
an ecosystem of creatures enjoying the art as much as you are.
Ever experienced a romance for the ages, only to have it become the
breakup that you’d rather time forget? The Museum of Broken Relationships feels
your pain. Created by artists Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic as a way to
heal from their own emotional misadventures, the exhibits have expanded to
include debris from relationships worldwide. That’s right — they take
donations. Go ahead, leave behind a few relics of your own.
Agent Mulder would be proud; the aliens at on display at the Roswell UFO
Museum and Research Center are gray, not green. Visit and learn about the
events surrounding the extraterrestrial crash in July 1947, and the attempts by
the government to cover it all up. (Cue spooky theme music.) Believer or
skeptic, this is the perfect place to start your research. Just remember: The
truth is out there.
Sure, any museum can simply display artifacts. But the Franz Kafka
museum aims to honor the spirit behind the author’s work. Fans of his work, you
can probably guess what’s in store: piles of coal, stone statues, and the
“actual” “Penal Colony” torture machine. Go for the day, but be sure to explain
the symbolism to your friends who didn’t major in literature.
Who says museums have to be about dead animals in dusty display cases?
The Butterfly Park in Kuala Lumpur is one of the largest of its kind, clocking
in at 80,000 square feet of landscaped garden and over 5,000 live butterflies.
The intellectual reason for going: What better way to learn about living
creatures than to see them in action? The actual reason you’ll go: Ooh, pretty.
The Icelandic Phallological Museum is dedicated to, err…well, exactly
what the name says. (Stop laughing.) Specifically, it sets itself apart by
having one “specimen” from every mammal in the country. So if you’ve ever
wondered how a whale penis stacks up against Homo sapiens’, now’s your chance
to get answers. And hey, if the exhibits are too tasteful for you, there’s
always the gift shop, which features must-have items like penis bottle openers,
a flasher sculpture, and shot glasses.
7. Condom Museum, Nonthaburi,
Thailand
It seems like a wasted opportunity that this museum isn’t located
adjacent to the phallic museum. Then again, Thailand is one of the world’s
largest producers of condoms. Not only does this two-room exhibit display
prophylactics from nearly every era, but also features an area dedicated to
demonstrating their strength and durability. (Just try to keep your mind out of
the gutter.)
The Museum of Jurassic Technology is a cabinet of curiosities that asks patrons
to determine what’s true and what’s not. Of course they don’t provide answers,
so reality within its walls is whatever you make it. Have a complimentary cup
of tea and a cookie in the tearoom — from supersonic bats, to dogs in space, to
statues small enough to sit in the eye of a needle, you’ll have plenty to sit
and discuss.
Billed as the “The World’s Only Mini Bottle Museum,” the collection
began as an odd hobby of the owner. It now features bottles from all over the
world, laid out according to color/theme. (There’s also a bar, naturally.)
Kitchy and impressive, the museum is a must for anyone who has thought about
pocketing the single-serving bottles of booze on an airplane. Bonus: Skip the
stairs and take the slide when you leave.
10. Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum,
Osaka Japan
Think that you know everything about ramen just because you made it
through your college years? Chances are you’ll still be surprised by this
extensive museum. Learn all about founder Momofuku Ando, and (perhaps best of
all) make your own “fresh” cup of instant noodles. Decorate the container, pick
your toppings, and roll your own noodles. Volia! The ultimate souvenir for you,
or birthday gift for your med student cousin.
11. Katten Kabinet, Amsterdam,
Netherlands
Stunning canals, famous works of art, legalized weed and…cats? OK, so
maybe our feline friends aren’t what most people think of when they’re planning
a trip to Amsterdam. Founded in 1990 by William Meijer in memory of his cat Tom
(aww…) the Katten Kabinet is a shrine to our four-legged buddies in painted and
sculpted form. With five cats in residence, you’re bound to have a purrfect
afternoon.
Pack rats? Try pack bunnies. Meet Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanskil,
proud owners of the world’s biggest collection of bunny paraphernalia. Unafraid
of puns, they invite rabbit lovers to the “The Hoppiest Place on Earth,”
conveniently located in the couple’s Pasadena, Calif., home. Don’t forget to
bring a few treats for your hosts’ seven live rabbit roommates.
13. Sulabh International Toilet Museum,
New Delhi, India
New Delhi’s International Museum of Toilets isn’t just a tribute to the
porcelain throne (although you’ll certainly be shocked at the variety
displayed), but a call for sanitation improvements in third world countries as
a means to improve overall health conditions. Museum curator Dr. Bindeshwar
Pathak runs Sulabh
International, the largest nonprofit in India dedicated to that very
cause. We can all agree: Life without toilets would be seriously crappy.
14. Currywurst Museum, Berlin, Germany
Fancy a cultural experience and a snack? Wrap your brain (and teeth)
around the Currywurst Museum in Berlin, Germany. The exhibits offer a kitschy
look at the country’s iconic dish. Play a few currywurst-themed video games,
watch a video of people eating sausages, and have a seat on a meat-shaped sofa
while you enjoy a few choice samples.
Why see classic works of art when you could see…bad art? Admittedly, the
premise of the Somerville, Mass., museum seems a bit thin. That is, until you
dissect exactly makes these works so horrendous. From clueless renderings of
famous pieces, to awkward sculptures, to whatever that image is above, it’s all
about misguided passion. Hey, at least these sincere artists get an A for
effort.
Vampires aren’t supposed to sparkle. Thankfully, you won’t find any
lovesick members of the undead at Le Musée des Vampires, located just outside
of Paris. What you will find is a study of vampires’ place in culture, past and
present. There’s also a significant helping of additional weirdness. Marvel at
the autographs of every actor who’s ever starred as Dracula, a mummified cat
from Paris’ famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, and a vampire painting by famous
French murder Nicolas Claux. Be advised: You must make an appointment in order
to visit.
Get cultured without having to leave home. (If it’s got the word
“museum” in the title it has to be educational, right?) The website bills
itself as a place that “exposes horrific aberrations of nature with photographs
depicting common food items that have distorted into something more sinister
than words can describe.” Maybe we’re jaded, but it seems awesome to find a
smiling face in your food. A sweet, innocent face…that we were about to
ruthlessly eat…oh god. Make the terror stop.
Even if you regularly have stress dreams about high school algebra
class, you’ll find something to like about New York’s Museum of Mathematics.
Ride a functional bike with square wheels, work through a few brainteasers, and
gape at the fractal tree. This is math in motion. Best of all, you don’t have
to be Isaac Newton to appreciate it all — each of the exhibits come with simple
and advanced explanations.
19. Museum of Enduring Beauty,
Malacca, Malaysia
Hair extensions, eyelash curlers, and Botox? Please, you’ve got nothing
on neck stretching, lip disking, or feet binding. All these and more are on
display at the Museum of Enduring Beauty. Proof positive that beauty is in the
eye of the beholder.
What to know more about the creamy treat? The Gelato Museum in Anzola
dell’Emilia (just outside of Bologna) will make you scream for (Italian) ice
cream. See what gelato meant to the Egyptians, the Romans, and during the
Middle Ages, and learn the secrets to making a successful batch. Then decide
what it means to you thanks to the gelato shop located right outside the
museum. How do you say “I want to go to there” in Italian?
Paris Sewers Museum, Paris
Trust the French to make even
city sewers chic. Centuries of art at the Louvre is so passe. Now fashionable
tourists in the capital of romance flock to the city's underworld for their
kicks.
The network of tunnels made
famous by Victor Hugo's Les Miserables are brought to life under the Quai
D'Orsay on the Left Bank where the museum introduces visitors to the world of
sewage disposal from 13th-century drainage systems to the first closed sewers
introduced in Napoleon's time.
Guides talk through the history
of keeping Paris clean and the tunnels' past as a tourist attraction, when
people could sail through the tunnels or be pulled along the pungent expanses
in carriages.
There is no such transport now,
but a walking tour of the vaulted subterranean channels is offered for any visitors
who can cope with the stench. The tunnels, which follow the Paris roads, have
blue and white street signs and each building's outflow is identified by the
house number.
More info: Quai d'Orsay, 00 33 1
47 05 10 29
The Museum of Bad Art, Boston
In recent years Boston has become
a popular shopping destination for long weekenders flying over from the UK. But
even the most dedicated follower of fashion needs a break from the boutiques
sometimes.
Enter The Museum of Bad Art, the
world's only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and
celebration of bad art in all its forms.
The ever-changing exhibits (there
is no shortage of terrible art, it seems) feature in themed areas such as 'blue
people', 'poor traits' and 'unlikely landscapes, seascapes and still lifes'.
Clashing colours, out of
proportion figures and a general lack of talent will have even the most weary
of visitors chuckling as they wander the halls.
It is all summed up in the
museum's statement that it displays: 'the work of talented artists that have
gone awry to works of exuberant, although crude, execution by artists barely in
control of the brush. What they all have in common is a special quality that
sets them apart in one way or another from the merely incompetent.'
Museum of Witchcraft, Cornwall
If you thought Cornwall was the
ideal spot for innocent beach holidays and country pursuits, then the world's
largest collection of witchcraft-related artefacts will certainly change your
mind.
One of the most popular museums
in the South West, the collection has been going for forty years and visitors
in search of some hocus pocus are still flocking.
The unusual exhibition was set up
by Cecil Williamson, a man who had always dabbled in the occult and was even
employed as an undercover agent by MI6 to collect information on the occult
interests of leading Nazi military personnel.
With categories including
everything from devil worship and satanism to the persecution of witches it's
certainly a complete collection of all things dark.
Visitors can see old-fashioned
dipping chairs, used to 'prove' whether a woman was a witch and ritual poppets
- or dolls - which were supposedly used to inflict harm on others.
There is even a library of over
3000 books on witchcraft and the occult in case you want to get involved
yourself...
Museum of the Holy Souls in
Purgatory, Rome
OK, it doesn't exactly sound
inviting. Who wants to spend any more time in Purgatory than they absolutely
have to?
Located in an eerie room off the
Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio church on the banks of the Tiber in Rome,
the museum purports to show traces of apparitions who reside in Purgatory - the
flaming half-way house where people pay for their sins before being allowed
access to heaven.
Scorched handprints adorning
bibles, tables and clothing are hailed as signs from souls trapped in fiery
Purgatory trying to contact their loved ones to pray for them and reduce the
amount of time they have to spend outside of heaven.
The collection was started by a
priest who saw a figure in the midst of a fire that destroyed the altar in the
church. He thought it must be a soul from Purgatory and started to collect
information on the appearances of these pained souls from around the world.
More info: Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio, Lungotevere Prati 12, Rome
Torture Museum, Amsterdam
Tulips and torture anyone? The
Dutch capital is a multi-layered destination where pretty canals, world-beating
art museums and historic sites sit alongside cannabis cafes and the infamous
Red Light District.
Those looking for a side-serving
of horror with their city break might find the Torture Museum holds the key.
With its darkened rooms and
uncomfortable ambiance, the exhibit hopes to 'document the history of human
cruelty' - just what you need on your holidays.
Gruesome displays including a
rusty guillotine, stretching tables, screws to crush your fingers, your head
and any other body part and a chair of nails - just some of the instruments
that will leave you grateful you live in 21st century Europe.
Anyone perplexed by what some
instruments were used for will be enlightened by detailed explanations and old
paintings showing how they were used to inflict maximum pain - the picture of
how an old saw was used will have male visitors crossing their legs.
Fascinating and with a serious
message, the museum points out to departing tourists that the USA still employs
executioners and the death penalty still exists in countries around the world,
begging the question, how much have times really changed?
Museum of Funeral Carriages,
Barcelona
There is a lot of beauty in
Barcelona, from Gaudi architecture to the surrounding coastline, so you might
question why anyone would want to forsake a few hours under the Spanish sun in
favour of going underground to a dusty museum full of funeral carriages.
There's no accounting for taste
though and this macabre museum has become an unlikely hit with visitors.
Perhaps it has something to do
with the sense of adventure in finding it. Visitors have to report to the
city's Municipal Funeral Services from where they will be guided to the
basement by a security guard and the exhibition unlocked.
Or maybe it's the eerie silence
that hangs heavy as you make your way around the exhibit's ornate carriages,
which date from as far back as the 18th century and are manned by dummies (or
are they?) in period costume.
Either way, the free attraction
gives an insight into the Catalan capital's darker side. It will almost be a
shame when the museum moves to the cemetery at Montjuic - although this doesn't
look like it's happening any time soon.
Dog Collar Museum, Leeds Castle,
Kent
Leeds Castle has a lot to offer
visitors, 500 acres of parkland, sumptuous interiors, Henry VIII memorabilia
and...a dog collar museum.
Not the most obvious choice of crowd-puller
for the castle, the exhibition claims to display a 'unique collection of
historic and fascinating dog collars'.
The assortment of canine cuffs
spans five centuries and includes everything from strong collars designed to
keep control of hunting dogs, to the sparkly fashion items 21st-century collars
have become.
The first articles were donated
by Gertrude Hunt in memory of her husband, John Hunt, a distinguished
medievalist. But since then the trust has built on its collection and now
boasts more than 100 collars and related items.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
25 Most Bizarre Museums From
Around The World
From human heads to bunny
rabbits these are the 25 most bizarre museums from around the world.
25
Beijing
Tap Water Museum, China
Nothing spells “excitement”
quite like a museum filled with faucets.
24
Museum
of Bad Art, United States
This place houses 600
masterpieces of modern…I mean, shamelessly horrific art.
23
The
Dog Collar Museum, England
The most surprising things
about this museum is that nearly half a million people actually visit it every
year.
22
British
Lawnmower Museum, England
Big mowers, small mowers, even
the royal family’s mowers. They’re all here.
21
Avanos
Hair Museum, Turkey
It’s the world’s largest
collection of hair gathered from over 16,000 women along with their names and
addresses. If you have ever heard of or experienced anything creepier than that
then we are truly sorry.
20
The
Bread Museum, Germany
Although it’s filled with bread
there isn’t a single edible loaf in the museum. We know…that was our first
thought too.
19
Salt
and Pepper Shaker Museum, United States
From human feet to amish
farmers this museum houses over 20,000 interesting little shakers.
18
The
Kunstkamera, Russia
Russia’s original “weird”
museum was assembled by the czars to help dispel the population’s belief in
monsters. From deformed fetuses to a human head preserved in vinegar we find it
hard to see how it came anywhere close to accomplishing its goal.
17
International
Cryptozoology Museum, United States
With recreations of big foot
and the alleged tracks of numerous animals which most likely never walked the
Earth this is every conspiracy theorists wildest dream come true.
16
Momofuku
Ando Instant Ramen Museum, Japan
15
Siriraj Medical Museum (Museum of Death), Thailand
The
first thing you see walking into the museum is the founder’s skeleton…and it
only gets more disturbing from there.
14
Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center, United States
This
place is no laughing matter. It even has the word “research” in its name.
13
Museum of Enduring Beauty, Malaysia
This
museum goes to great lengths to show just how far people will go to look
“beautiful”.
12
Sulabh Museum of Toilets
So
is the bathroom separate? Or just part of the exhibition?
11
Meguro Parasitological Museum, Japan
Ok,
we’ve got to hand it to Japan. This is definitely a step up from Ramen noodles.
10
Sewer
Museum, Paris
We hear that the smell is less
than welcoming…
9
Ventriloquism
Museum, Kentucky
If you have any sort of doll
phobia then this place would be your worst nightmare.
8
Cesare
Lombroso's Museum of Criminal Anthropology, Italy
Dedicated to Italian
criminologist Cesare Lombroso, the museum even has his head on display.
7
Psychiatry:
An Industry of Death Museum, California
Run by the Church of
Scientology (big surprise) this museum does everything in its power to paint
psychiatry in the worst light possible.
5
Mütter
Medical Museum, Pennsylvania
Possibly one of the most
disturbing museums on this list, it houses a malignant tumor removed from
President Grover Cleveland and another growth removed from Abraham Lincoln’s
assassin.
4
The
Bunny Museum, California
With an advertisement done by
Elijah Wood of Lord of the Rings, it’s not surprising that this place is
actually quite popular.
3
International
UFO Museum and Research Center, New Mexico
Why do all the most ridiculous
museums have the word “research” in them?
2
Museum
of Funeral Carriages, Spain
Sometimes during the off season
it can get really dead around here…ok bad joke.
1
Currywurst
Museum, Germany
This has to be the best bizarre
museum ever, especially during lunch time.
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