While the Louvre and the Smithsonian might be on every traveler’s must-visit site, there’s a whole world of museums dedicated to strange, specific, and simply weird things. We’re talking about hair collections and out-of-this-world specimens. Here are the 8 bizarre museums that you can explore.
8. The Bunny Museum (USA)
This museum is dedicated to the history of bunnies in art, advertising, entertainment, fashion, and everyday life. It features a two-story building filled with bunny paraphernalia, housing more than 35,000 toys, figurines, and art pieces. Steve Lubanski and Candace Frazee founded it in 1993, when Steve gave his then-girlfriend a stuffed bunny. Now they are featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most bunny stuff.
7. Kunstkamera Museum (Russia)
A glimpse into the Kunstkamera Museum’s Peter the Great’s cabinet of curiosities reveals bizarre items that make the museum enter our list. The odd corner features more than 200,000 animal and human curiosities collected to dispel Russian beliefs in monsters and mythical creatures. Some of the most bizarre anomalies include decapitated human heads preserved in vinegar and even preserved fetuses with genetic abnormalities. The collection was intended to develop new methods of scientific research and encourage the population to adopt such a mindset.
6. The National Mustard Museum (USA)
This museum, located in Middleton, Wisconsin, features the world’s largest collection of mustards and mustard memorabilia. It was founded in 1992 by Barry Levenson, boasting a collection of 6,000 mustards from 70 countries. Visitors can learn about the history of mustard and view artifacts such as antique tins, mustard pots, and vintage advertisements. The museum also hosts the annual worldwide Mustard Competition and National Mustard Day street festival.
5. The Idaho Potato Museum (USA)
Expectedly, Idaho would have a museum dedicated to spuds. It’s located in the former Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot. This 5,500-square-foot museum features exhibits on the history of potatoes, their cultivation and harvesting processes, as well as the industry surrounding them. Artifacts include one of the world’s largest collections of potato mashers and the largest potato crisp ever made. Visitors can do experiments in the Potato Lab and enjoy a freshly baked potato in their cafe.
4. The Paris Catacombs (France)
Beneath the streets of Paris is a mile-long tunnel filled with skulls and bones holding the remains of over six million people. The bones were actually transferred back in 1785 through nightly processions when the city’s cemeteries became overcrowded and unsanitary. Napoleon later decided to turn these piles into walls of femurs and skulls. It’s an eerie spot for you to explore, different from the glamour that Paris offers.
3. The Mütter Museum (USA)
The Mütter Museum houses an unsettling collection of medical curiosities. By that, we meant preserved organs, wax models, skulls, skeletons, tumors, and body parts floating in jars. It was Thomas Dent Mütter, a pioneering surgeon, who founded the museum in 1859 as a resource for medical professionals to learn. The museum also houses slices of Einstein’s brain and the famous Soap Lady, whose corpse underwent chemical saponification.
2. Avanos Hair Museum (Turkey)
The Avanos Hair Museum is located in the town of Avanos, Turkey. It was created by potter Chez Galip as it houses a huge range of hair collected from 16,000 women. Each sample includes a written tag with information about the original owner and its origin. Reportedly, decades ago, a close friend of Galip’s migrated away from Avanos, leaving the potter a lock of her hair as a reminder of her.
1. The Museum of Broken Relationships (Croatia)
This unusual museum was made by two Zagreb-based artists who once dated. When they split up, they joked about creating a museum about their relationship. A handful of mementoes grew to a collection as broken-hearted singles from around the world donated items. The things you can see include the “therapy instrument” (axe) used by its donor to smash the furniture of a cheating partner, and a pair of bright orange pants given to a man by his ex-girlfriend. They’re kept on display along with other rings, clothes, and many special items from their lost love.