On one hand you have museums like the Smithsonian, Louvre, Guggenheim, and Prado which attract millions of tourists every year thanks to their varied collection, unique exhibitions, and of course stellar reputation. And then, you have museums like the ones we are going to look at in a short while that might make people curious but only in a way you would be about something freaky. On the other hand, the whole world goes to the Smithsonian; why don’t you try something different. Read on and see which of these places appeal to you the most.
Sulabh International Museum of Toilets – New Delhi, India
In a country where more than half the population has to defecate in the open, it is an interesting paradox that there should be a museum dedicated to history and means of collecting and disposing fecal matter. There is no other museum of its kind on this planet and in its own brazen way it sends out a very clear signal that there is no need to be so prude about the most natural functions of your body. The museum is whimsical but I believe you won’t look at your toilet the same way again after a trip to this place.
Sulabh International Museum of Toilets – New Delhi, India
Sulabh International Museum of Toilets – New Delhi, India
The Paris Sewer Museum – Paris, France
A museum on sewers? Well, Parisians have always been acknowledged for their rather unique outlook towards life in general and all things connected and this goes to prove the point. Besides, Paris stands second to London if you simply consider the history associated with their sewer systems. In case you are bored of the same old attractions in Paris, you may want to see what 8 centuries of human waste collection looks like. Game anyone?
The Paris Sewer Museum
Icelandic Phallological Museum – Husavik, Iceland
If your idea of fun is looking at penis specimens of various animals or pondering over the importance of a phallus in procreation and evolution, the Icelandic Phallological Museum is just the place for you. I am not sure what brainwave led to the establishment of this museum or how many people frequent this place to look at stuff that is generally kept under wraps (or jeans, if you please) all over the world, but it is still standing, isn’t it. I meant the museum. So, it must attract err…someone with an interest in ummm…penises. No idea who that could be though.
Icelandic Phallological Museum
Icelandic Phallological Museum
Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography – St. Petersburg, Russia
This museum is the brainchild of Peter the Great who had a macabre interest and something of an obsession in collecting human fetuses, fleshy animal parts, and unusual physiological disfigurements. So, all the possible freaky things you can imagine (and then some more) hang eerily in huge jars of formaldehyde. It’s one heck of a place to visit on Halloweens, I say. You’ll have enough goose bumps to last you the whole year.
Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography – St. Petersburg, Russia
Specimens at Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography – St. Petersburg, Russia
