When you think of a museum, what really comes to your mind? Artefacts, ancient history, old relics or sculptures? Well, think beyond that because this International Museum Day, we are celebrating some of the bizarre and most outrageous museums in the world! Even though the themes are weird, these 10 museums have a very interesting and meaningful story to why they were created. In fact, some of them also raise awareness on social causes.
1. Sulabh International Museum Of Toilets, India
A very rare and bizarre museum in India, the Sulabh International Museum Of Toilets has a collection of facts, pictures and objects about the historical evolution of toilets from 2500 BC to date! The museum houses a range of carved and painted urinals and commodes. It surely sounds weird but is very informative. It was started by a social activist, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak whose aim was to spread the awareness of sanitation practises.
2. Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, Japan
Dedicated to the creator of ramen noodles, Momofuku Ando, the museum showcases Japan’s food culture where people can view limited edition of instant noodles, take a walk through the Instant Noodles Tunnel and also attend a culinary workshop where they can make fresh noodles. If you want to know the whole story of Ando’s inspiration to create one of the best selling noodles, then this museum is a must visit!
3. Iceland Phallological Museum, Iceland
As the name suggests, the museum displays a collection of more than 200 penises and penile parts of land and sea mammals that can be found in Iceland. The founder, Sigurður Hjartarson, gathered interest in phallology as a child when he was a given a puzzle
, a bull’s penis, as a whip for farm animals. Since then, his interest grew and he began collecting specimens of various mammals and opened the museum in 1997.
4. Museum Of Broken Relationships, Croatia
Even though the name suggests something sad, this museum can make you feel better if you’ve gone through a bad relationship! The Museum Of Broken Relationships is a physical and virtual place where you can come and share your heartbreak stories. The project was started by a couple Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić in 2006 after their own break up. But instead of lamenting over it, they decided to celebrate it by keeping all the gifts, photos and other memories instead. Visitors share items of their past relationships along with a story attached to it.
5. The Hair Museum Of Avanos, Turkey
The walls, surfaces and ceilings of this museum are filled with differently coloured hair samples of over 1600 women who have visited the place and pieces of paper with addresses on them. That sounds completely bizarre, right? But there is an emotional backstory to it. The creator of this museum, Chez Galip, started the museum over 30 years ago when his dear friend was leaving Avanos and that made him sad. In order to keep her in his memory, she cut a piece of her hair and gave it to him. Ever since then, women who have visited the place have also cut a part of their hair and left their addresses.
6. Museum Of Bad Art, USA
The Museum Of Bad Art (MOBA) was established in 1993 and is a community based, non-profit institution dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms. Their first show was held in 1994, which got a lot of attention and grew immensely. Ever since then, they have continued to celebrate artists who won’t be appreciated anywhere else.
7. Cancun Underwater Museum, Mexico
This museum, formed in 2009, consists of more than 500 monumental sculptures fixed to the seabed of the waters surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc. The Cancun Underwater Museum (also called Museo Subacuático de Arte) aims to preserve the corals which are represented by showing a human interaction with the environment. In fact, the massive life-sized structures are made of specialised materials to promote the growth of coral life.
8. Dog Collar Museum, England
The Dog Collar Museum displays a unique collection of over 130 rare and valuable dog collars, with the earliest one dating back to late 15th century. The museum was established when Mrs. Gertrude Hunt presented a collection of dog collars to the Leeds Castle Foundation in memory of her husband, a historian, John Hunt in 1977. Both loved collecting antiques but Mrs. Hunt was passionate about dog collars. She donated more than 60 collars from all corners of Europe from 16th to 19th century. Ever since then, many people have donated more collars and the collection continues to grow.
9. The Condom Museum, Thailand
You shouldn’t be surprised to know that the Condom Museum is situated in one of the largest producers of this contraceptive device, Thailand. The museum holds a collection of condoms of different colours and sizes from across the world and also has labs that test their strength and endurance. This museum is an initiative taken by the Health Ministry of Thailand whose aim is to eliminate Thai people’s negative point of view on condom usage, create awareness of sexual protection and boost their confidence in using condoms.
10. Beijing Tap Water Museum, China
One of the most offbeat attractions in Beijing, the Tapwater Museum is situated at the original place of the first water plant in the city. Its aim is to educate visitors about the 90 year water treatment history using old relics, maps, equipments, pictures and detailed captions. In 1908, Empress Cixi had ordered the construction of the water plan and city pipeline in order to fight fires that plagued Beijing during that time. However, locals weren’t sure about the safety of water. In response, the water plant released an ad campaign on the safety of tap water which then led to tap water subscribers.
Which of these weird museums would you like to visit? Let us know in the comments below!
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