The Top 5 Strangest Museums in the World
Some people will collect anything. Be it stamps to magnets dotted on the door of the refrigerator. What you choose to collect can say a lot about you, your actions speak louder than words. So what the curators of the collections found in these museums were thinking is anyone’s guess. Check out these five strange museums from across the globe.
5. Sewer Museum, Paris, France.
Tourists usually pack Paris for its beautiful architecture, but one its most fascinating parts lies beneath the opulent Paris streets. One of the oldest systems in the world, the sewers have carried Paris’ waste for almost 700 years. As well as carrying the waste – an assortment of weird objects have been found in the tunnels under the city from historic jewels and orangutan's relics found at the very bottom of the system. The author of Les Miserables, Victor Hugo described this attraction as "fetid, wild, fierce..." – it’s a poetic way of saying it’s kind of gross, yet many travelers are attracted to this place annually.
Tourists usually pack Paris for its beautiful architecture, but one its most fascinating parts lies beneath the opulent Paris streets. One of the oldest systems in the world, the sewers have carried Paris’ waste for almost 700 years. As well as carrying the waste – an assortment of weird objects have been found in the tunnels under the city from historic jewels and orangutan's relics found at the very bottom of the system. The author of Les Miserables, Victor Hugo described this attraction as "fetid, wild, fierce..." – it’s a poetic way of saying it’s kind of gross, yet many travelers are attracted to this place annually.
4. Hair Museum, Avanos, Turkey.
This has an almost serial killer-like air to it, but fortunately all those who donated their follicles lived to tell the tale. More than 30 years ago a humble potter and citizen of Avanos, Chez Galip was given a lock of hair by a woman who was leaving the city. A sort of “call me” message if you like and if you consider this collection to be a like a hairy version of a “black book”, Galip had some success with women. He has amassed 16,000 hair examples along with the addresses of the women they belong to. Word grew and in 1979 it became such a success among both local dwellers and foreign visitors and the museum was listed to the Guinness Book of World Records.
This has an almost serial killer-like air to it, but fortunately all those who donated their follicles lived to tell the tale. More than 30 years ago a humble potter and citizen of Avanos, Chez Galip was given a lock of hair by a woman who was leaving the city. A sort of “call me” message if you like and if you consider this collection to be a like a hairy version of a “black book”, Galip had some success with women. He has amassed 16,000 hair examples along with the addresses of the women they belong to. Word grew and in 1979 it became such a success among both local dwellers and foreign visitors and the museum was listed to the Guinness Book of World Records.
3. The National Mustard Museum, Middleton, Wisconsin, USA.
It’s an unusual diversion from depression, but for Barry Levenson, a former Assistant Attorney General of Wisconsin, it has become an industry. Upset with the failure of his favorite baseball team the Boston Red Sox canned out of the World Series in 1986, Levenson shifted the focus of his interest to collecting mustards. The museum is listed as one of the weirdest venues in America and offers more than 5,300 items from over 60 countries not to mention a series of memorabilia exhibited in the museum.
It’s an unusual diversion from depression, but for Barry Levenson, a former Assistant Attorney General of Wisconsin, it has become an industry. Upset with the failure of his favorite baseball team the Boston Red Sox canned out of the World Series in 1986, Levenson shifted the focus of his interest to collecting mustards. The museum is listed as one of the weirdest venues in America and offers more than 5,300 items from over 60 countries not to mention a series of memorabilia exhibited in the museum.
2. Sulabh International Museum of Toilets, New Delhi, India.
Usually they serve a simple function, we don’t give them thought and we dread cleaning them - the toilet. Yet in a corner of Delhi you can find a museum devoted to toilet design, surprising when you consider that the museum of toilets is located in India where less than 30 percent of local people have access to sewerage system. However, it is for that reason the museum exists – to raise awareness of the need for adequate sanitation. The message is simple, the local population suffers from constant epidemics and the theme of sanitation including toilets is a challenge that is no less topical than other social challenges like poverty, education or employment.
Usually they serve a simple function, we don’t give them thought and we dread cleaning them - the toilet. Yet in a corner of Delhi you can find a museum devoted to toilet design, surprising when you consider that the museum of toilets is located in India where less than 30 percent of local people have access to sewerage system. However, it is for that reason the museum exists – to raise awareness of the need for adequate sanitation. The message is simple, the local population suffers from constant epidemics and the theme of sanitation including toilets is a challenge that is no less topical than other social challenges like poverty, education or employment.
1. Museum of Bad Art (MOBA), Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Its motto is "art too bad to be ignored" and the premise is that the intention of the artist was sincere, but somewhere in translating that to the canvas something went horribly wrong these are less “masterpiece” more “disasterpiece”. The seed of the museum was sown in 1994 when Scott Wilson, an antique dealer, showed a painting he had recovered from some roadside rubbish to friends and the rest, as they say is history. The museum has since gathered some 500 works spread across two locations – where they are exhibited as any other gallery with descriptions of the work made with tongue-firmly-in-cheek. The Museum of Bad Art challenges your perception of art and assaults your eyes all in one visit.
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Its motto is "art too bad to be ignored" and the premise is that the intention of the artist was sincere, but somewhere in translating that to the canvas something went horribly wrong these are less “masterpiece” more “disasterpiece”. The seed of the museum was sown in 1994 when Scott Wilson, an antique dealer, showed a painting he had recovered from some roadside rubbish to friends and the rest, as they say is history. The museum has since gathered some 500 works spread across two locations – where they are exhibited as any other gallery with descriptions of the work made with tongue-firmly-in-cheek. The Museum of Bad Art challenges your perception of art and assaults your eyes all in one visit.
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About the Author:
This blog post was written by Booked.net writer Olga Leleka, who is part of a team of writers at the hotel reservation website offer travel news, information and advice about destinations, attractions and hotels across the world.
