No matter if you love museums or not, you have surely visited a museum at least once during your childhood days. A museum is a place to learn and know about many ancient belongings, history, and so many important unknown details. It might sound shocking but some museums in some corners of the world are quite bizarre. Think about any random thing and you will find a museum for it. There are the weirdest museums of toilets, hair, condoms, and even death. Let’s look at some unbelievable museums in the world.
Weirdest Museums In The World
1. Icelandic Phallological Museum, Iceland
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Nestled in Iceland, the ‘Icelandic Phallological Museum’ was built in 1997. This museum probably ranks at the top among the weirdest museums in the world. This museum features male sex organs of different sizes, from as small as 2 mm to 1.7 meters.
Where: Kalkofnsvegur 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
When: 10 am – 7 pm
Also read: 5 Best Museums To Visit In Abu Dhabi
2. Museum Of The Weird, Austin
The list of the world’s weirdest museums is incomplete without ‘Museum Of The Weird’. Just like the name, this museum houses weird objects from all over the world. Nestled in Austin, this museum features bizarre oddities such as real mummies, shrunken heads, and more.
Where: 412 E. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701
When: 10 am – 7 pm
3. Avanos Hair Museum, Turkey
Nestled in Avanos town in Turkey, ‘Avanos Hair Museum’ is an unusual and surely one of the weirdest museums. In a small cave, this museum features hair strands of more than 16,000 women. The walls and surroundings are completely covered with hair and the spooky part is that every woman’s name and address is mentioned with the strands.
Where: Yukarı, No: 24, 110. Sk., 50500 Avanos/Nevşehir, Türkiye
When: 9 am – 8 pm
Also read: National Museum Of Customs And GST Opens Inside 400-Year-Old Goa Building
4. Condom Museum, Thailand
Nestled in Nonthaburi City, Thailand, the ‘Condom Museum’ is undoubtedly one of the weirdest museums in the entire world. The Thai Health Ministry started this museum to talk about sex and promote safe sex. This museum shows many stories about condoms from different times and how it is helping people to prevent any kind of STDs. You will get to see condoms from many countries here.
Where: Talat Khwan Mueang Nonthaburi Nonthaburi
5. Sulabh International Toilet Museum, New Delhi
India’s capital, New Delhi is the home to the ‘Sulabh International Toilet Museum’. This museum’s goal is to focus on hygiene improvements and health conditions. You will find all the stories and history of toilets and sanitation. You will get to see various toilets and how they transformed over time.
Where: Sulabh Bhawan, Mahavir Enclave, Palam Dabri Marg, New Delhi, India
Also read: India’s First Vintage Camera Museum in Delhi NCR Features Over 1000 Photographs, Library & More!
6. Museum Of Bad Art, USA
You might find it hard to believe, but there is truly a museum in the USA where you will find bad artwork from all around. Nestled in Somerville, the ‘Museum Of Bad Art’ shows very bad artworks. They encourage and appreciate artists and their efforts to create art. They have a collection of 700 art pieces and you might be surprised to see all of these pieces.
Where: 1250 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02125, United States
When: 11:30 am – 10 pm
7. Museum Of Death, Los Angeles
There is a legit museum ‘Museum Of Death’ in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. It might sound very negative but the actual aim of this place is to give happiness to the crowd for staying alive. This is not a great place for faint-hearted people as this museum has baby coffins, films of autopsies, pictures of crime scenes, artwork from various serial killers, and more.
Where: 6363 Selma Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
When: 11 am – 8 pm
8. Museum Of Enduring Beauty, Malaysia
The Museum of Enduring Beauty in Malacca City, Malaysia, offers a captivating look into the diverse and sometimes strange beauty standards from around the world. It explores how different cultures define beauty through practices such as skin tattooing, lip stretching with round discs, tooth filing, and even head moulding into oval shapes. The museum’s thought-provoking exhibits reveal how our perceptions of beauty have evolved and how these traditions, as unsettling as they may seem, are an integral part of human history.
Where: Jln Kota, Banda Hilir, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia
When: 9 am – 5 pm
9. Mini Bottle Gallery, Norway
If you’re a fan of miniatures, then the Mini Bottle Gallery in Norway will amaze you with its collection of tiny bottles. Housing the world’s largest collection of miniature bottles, it boasts over 53,000 bottles, with 12,500 displayed in unique installations across three floors. These meticulously curated displays present a whimsical and magical experience that enchants visitors. A visit to the museum reveals a world with miniature bottles shaped like everything from animals to vehicles.
Where: Kirkegata 10, 0152 Oslo, Norway
When: 12 pm – 4 pm (Saturday and Sunday)
10. Kuching Cat Museum, Malaysia
The Kuching Cat Museum in Sarawak, Malaysia, is a paradise for feline enthusiasts, as it celebrates all things cat-related. The museum’s four galleries house over 4,000 artefacts, paintings, and memorials dedicated to cats, including a mummified cat from ancient Egypt. Here, you can marvel at feline-related advertising, explore the five wild cat species of Borneo, and even view the quirky exhibits of cat-inspired art.
Where: Bangunan DBKU, Jalan Semariang, Petra Jaya, 93050 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
When: 9 am – 4:30 pm
11. Museum Of Broken Relationships, Croatia
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The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia, is a unique and emotionally resonant experience. It showcases personal items left over from failed love relationships, each accompanied by a brief description of the lost connection. The museum presents a poignant narrative of love, loss, and healing from wedding dresses to letters and shared teddy bears. It offers visitors a raw and intimate glimpse into the complexities of human relationships.
Where: Ćirilometodska ul. 2, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia
When: 9 am – 9 pm
12. Beijing Tap Water Museum, China
The Beijing Tap Water Museum may sound unconventional, but it offers a fascinating glimpse into the history and evolution of the city’s water supply. Located at the site of the Beijing City Water Supply Company, the museum is set in a historic building with a European facade. Inside, visitors can explore a plumbing graveyard filled with old pipes and penstocks, alongside exhibits of vintage water metres, early water purification methods, and even the Chinese flag made by the company’s employees. It’s a unique journey through the often overlooked but essential world of tap water.
Where: 6A Dongzhimen Beidajie, Beijing, China
When: 9 am – 4 pm (Wednesday – Sunday)
13. British Lawnmower Museum, England
The British Lawnmower Museum in Southport, England, takes visitors on a quirky journey through the history of lawnmowers. Housing over 300 restored exhibits, the museum showcases garden machinery from the last 200 years, including mowers once owned by celebrities such as Prince Charles, and Princess Diana, and guitarist Brian May. The museum’s workshops restore antique lawnmowers and garden equipment, making it a haven for enthusiasts and curious minds alike. Where: 106-114 Shakespeare St, Southport PR8 5AJ, United Kingdom
When: 9 am – 5 pm
14. Salt And Pepper Shaker Museum, United States
The Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, features an astonishing collection of over 20,000 pairs of salt and pepper shakers from around the world. Founded by Belgian archaeologist Andrea Ludden, the museum highlights the creativity of artists who have transformed these everyday items into myriad shapes and materials. The museum offers a nostalgic trip down memory lane, from miniature McDonald’s menu items to figurines of human feet.
Where: 461 Brookside Village Way, Gatlinburg, TN 37738, United States
When: 10 am – 4 pm
15. Siriraj Medical Museum, Thailand
The Siriraj Medical Museum, also known as the Museum of Death, is a thought-provoking destination in Bangkok, Thailand. It comprises seven small medical museums that explore different aspects of medicine, including pathology, forensic medicine, and parasitology. The museum offers a close-up look at medical oddities, including specimens of diseases and congenital anomalies, as well as the top killers of Thai people.
Where: Thailand, Bangkok, Thanon Wang Lang, タ
When: 10 am – 5 pm
Take a journey through these one-of-a-kind museums and discover the unexpected stories and wonders.
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons and Lawnmower World/Website
Inputs from Shreya Ghosh and Mallika Khurana