Buzz
Exploring a museum is an immersive journey that blends education with culture, a pastime enjoyed by travelers worldwide. Countless museums and galleries showcase masterpieces, invaluable artifacts, and rich historical exhibits from across the ages.
Renowned cultural hubs like the Louvre, Tate Modern, Uffizi Gallery, and Guggenheim Museum attract throngs of visitors each day, offering a glimpse into the world's most prestigious art collections.
A museum, by definition, is a space dedicated to the exhibition of items with historical, cultural, artistic, or scientific significance. Yet, beyond the well-known institutions, there exist fascinating and quirky museums around the world. Some originated from passionate collectors, while others simply defy convention with their oddities.
10. Hair Museum Avanos, Turkey
In Avanos, Turkey, there lies an eccentric museum beneath a pottery shop. Chez Galip, an artist, has curated an extraordinary collection of locks of hair from over 16,000 women, all displayed in his unique 'hair museum.'
In the late 1970s, Galip, feeling a sense of loss after a friend's departure from Avanos, asked for a memento. In response, the woman gave him a lock of her hair as a keepsake.
Through the years, he gathered locks of hair from women who visited, each sample tagged with the donor's name and address. These colorful tresses now adorn every surface within the museum, creating an eclectic display.
While visitors are not required to contribute their hair, those who do have the chance to win an all-expenses-paid vacation, with the opportunity available twice a year.
9. Icelandic Phallological Museum
Iceland boasts numerous museums dedicated to a variety of historical and cultural topics. Yet, the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik stands out as one of the strangest museums in existence. It is entirely focused on the male reproductive organ.
As stated on its official website, it is “the only museum in the world to feature a collection of phallic specimens from every species of mammal found in a single country.”
The museum showcases over 200 specimens of penises from animals such as whales, seals, polar bears, and more than 20 other land mammals. The largest specimen is a 170-centimeter (67-inch) whale penis preserved in glass. Human samples are also on display, and visitors have the opportunity to register to donate their own specimens after passing.
Among the more peculiar artistic exhibits are lampshades crafted from bull scrotums, as well as toys and utensils that fit the museum's unconventional theme.
8. Toilet Museum South Korea
Finding the public restrooms in this South Korean museum won’t be a challenge. Haewoojae is a unique museum entirely dedicated to the history of toilets and sanitation.
Despite its humorous theme, the museum has deep roots in serious initiatives. Sim Jae-duck, affectionately known as “Mr Toilet,” worked tirelessly to improve public toilets while serving as mayor of Suwon City, South Korea. He also founded the “World Toilet Association” to promote global sanitation improvements.
He even constructed a toilet-shaped house, which was transformed into a museum following his death in 2009. The initial museum featured mostly toilet-themed signs and educational materials emphasizing the significance of maintaining clean toilet facilities.
Since 2012, the museum has grown to showcase the history of water closets, squat toilets, and public urinals from various corners of the globe.
7. Cup Noodles Museum Osaka
Cup noodles are often considered a simple, unremarkable food typically consumed by budget-conscious students navigating their way through college. With over 100 billion servings of instant noodles eaten worldwide every year, it's no surprise that a museum dedicated to cup noodles exists.
In Osaka, Japan, you can explore a museum dedicated to the 60-year journey of instant noodles. The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum chronicles the history of instant noodles, starting with the first Chicken Ramen in the 1950s to the wide range of varieties we have today.
Exhibits feature a replica of the inventor’s workshop where the first cup noodles were created, along with displays showcasing noodles that were sent into space to nourish astronauts. The “Instant Noodles Tunnel” presents over 800 noodle packaging designs, making for an ideal “selfie” spot for ramen enthusiasts.
Visitors even have the chance to participate in a hands-on workshop where they can create and package their own custom ramen noodles.
6. Kansas Barbed Wire Museum
Travel through any rural region of the world, and you're bound to encounter stretches of barbed wire fencing enclosing properties. It’s easy to assume you’d find this spiky wire showcased in an agricultural museum.
However, in La Crosse, Kansas, there is a museum entirely devoted to barbed wire. There, you’ll be amazed by a collection of over 2,400 unique barbed wire variations.
The museum traces the evolution of barbed wire from its invention in the 1870s, created to protect lands in America’s Midwest, to its role in wartime and its widespread use in modern fencing practices.
The museum also features displays of fencing tools and equipment. While the idea of an entire museum dedicated to fencing wire may sound dull, the profound impact of this simple material throughout history makes for an intriguing exhibit.
5. Spam Museum Austin, Minnesota
Many of us cringe at the thought of consuming “Spam,” the processed canned pork first launched by Hormel Foods in 1937. Although it served as a crucial staple for soldiers during World War II, this square tin of meat has garnered a less favorable reputation in more recent times.
But yes, there is a Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. Hormel Foods initially opened a small museum in a mall in 1991, before relocating to a larger, more accessible location in recent years.
At this museum, visitors can dive into the history of Spam production and its significance during the war. You can also sample various Spam flavors. That's right—there are different types of Spam sold across the globe. And if you're feeling adventurous, you can grab a few Spam recipes for your next dinner gathering.
4. Bata Shoe Museum Canada
Collecting shoes has been a favored pastime for women for centuries. From simple sandals and flip-flops to extravagant fashion footwear, the shoe is an essential part of our daily wardrobe.
In Toronto, Canada, there's a museum housed in a shoebox-shaped building where you can explore the evolution of footwear. The wife of Bata Shoe Company founder, Thomas Bata, surpassed even Imelda Marcos’s famous shoe collection.
Sonja Bata began her passion for shoe shopping while accompanying her husband on business trips. Her collection, which began in the 1940s, grew so large by the 1970s that the Bata Shoe Museum was founded in 1992. It moved to its current location in 1995.
Visitors to the museum can admire over 13,000 pairs of shoes representing more than 4,500 years of footwear history. From Chinese “foot binding” shoes to basic sandals and wild fashion pieces, guests can discover the stories behind these items and the evolution of shoemaking over the ages.
3. Lunchbox Museum Columbus, Georgia
Over time, we all have our favorite lunchboxes—those practical items that carried our sandwiches and fruit to school or work. Many of us remember the metal boxes of the 1950s and 1960s, like the black-and-red plaid tins or those adorned with images of beloved folk heroes.
In more recent years, we’ve turned to plastic containers. These range from simple lidded boxes to trendy pop culture or Disney-themed versions, which every school child seemingly “must have.”
But did you know there is a museum solely dedicated to lunchboxes? Situated above a country music station in Columbus, Georgia, this museum showcases thousands of lunchboxes, thermoses, and coolers on display for all to see.
Owner Allen Woodall began his collection of lunchboxes in the 1990s. Today, his museum collection is open to the public, showcasing the evolution of this everyday container from the 1950s up to the present day.
2. Skull Tower Of Nis Serbia
Serbia is home to the eerie “Skull Tower of Nis,” a grim reminder of the Battle of Cegar in 1809. As Turkish forces closed in, Serbian commander Stevan Sindelic detonated a gunpowder store, sacrificing himself and his men to avoid capture and torture.
Vizier Hurshid Pasha ordered the decapitation of the fallen soldiers. Their heads were skinned and preserved before being used to construct a 4.6-meter (15 ft) tower, made from the skulls of 952 Serbian soldiers, as a chilling warning to any rebels.
Over the years, some skulls have fallen from the wall, while others were claimed by family members for proper burial. By 2013, only 58 skulls remained on display, including one preserved in a glass case, said to be that of Sindelic himself.
In 1892, a chapel was constructed around the tower, both to protect it and to honor the fallen soldiers, ensuring the structure remains a lasting symbol of the brutal realities of war.
1. Dog Collar Museum Kent, England
Dog collars have been an essential accessory for dogs since the medieval period. While spiked leather collars were initially designed to protect hunting dogs from predators, wealthier dogs were adorned with ornate, jeweled collars that signified their status.
Even today, we still use nylon collars to attach leashes or identification tags. You can easily find a variety of dog collars in any pet store to suit your furry friend's needs.
At Leeds Castle in Kent, there is a unique museum dedicated to the history of dog collars. Since 1976, the museum has displayed around 100 collars ranging from medieval to Victorian periods. The collection includes collars that might seem harsh by today’s standards, along with extravagant royal collars embellished with the coats of arms of their aristocratic owners.
The museum attracts roughly 500,000 visitors each year, who come to explore over five centuries of canine fashion.
