Think of museums as stuffy places overflowing with boring information? Well think again, as Jo Caruana explores some of the world’s maddest museums.
Museums are wonderful places when you think about it – collections of the world’s most precious treasures, with highbrow art exhibitions, ancient artefacts and priceless examples of what makes this earth so wildly wonderful.
But sometimes, just sometimes, it can get a little tiring looking at all that amazing stuff, and you find yourself wondering if there may be somewhere a little less serious to spend your holiday time.
Well, we’ve solved that problem in a jiffy, with a rundown of some of the world’s most unusual museums and exhibitions.
Dog Collar Museum, Kent, UK
The castle in which this museum is set – Leeds Castle in Kent – has to be one of the prettiest you’ll ever see. But it’s very conservative appearance doesn’t quite beget one of its permanent attractions – a museum dedicated to dog collars.
Nevertheless, it is the only collection of its kind in the UK, and has been built up over the years following a donation of collars by Gertrude Hunt, in memory of her husband John Hunt, a distinguished medievalist. It offers plenty of insight into canine culture, with highlights including doggy cuffs from up to five centuries ago.
The Forensic Museum, Bangkok, Thailand
Museum highlights include the pickled head of a gun-shot victim and the paraffin-preserved body of a cannibal serial killer- Jo Caruana
Nicknamed ‘the creepiest museum in the world’, this is the place to come to witness dissected bodies soaking in formaldehyde. It won’t float everyone’s boat, but it can prove interesting to discover more about what happens to our bodies once we die.
Located within the Siriraj Hospital, the extensive exhibition focuses on forensics, pathology, Thai medical history, parasitology and anatomy. There are lots of grisly finds to be discovered on your walk round, including the pickled head of a gun-shot victim, preserved foetuses, several Siamese twins and the paraffin-preserved body of Si Ouey Sae Ueng, a cannibal serial killer who preyed on children in the 1950s.
This museum is definitely not for those of a sensitive constitution.
The Museum of Bad Art, Boston, US
Yes, while countless museums have been opened to celebrate the talents of truly amazing artists, this dinky Boston set-up does the very opposite by showcasing some really awful pieces of art.
It is the world’s only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms, and it’s been doing so since 1993.
As there’s no shortage of terrible art, exhibitions change regularly, so there’s always something new and disastrous to discover. And if you think your art may be ‘good’ enough to make it to the walls of this highly original institution, then you can follow the donation instructions on their website, which specifies that no items will be considered if they have been painted-by-numbers.
Mustard Museum, Wisconsin, US
Maybe you enjoy it lathered on a hotdog, or perhaps you’re more of a ketchup person to begin with. Either way it’s hard to imagine a whole museum dedicated to that very yellow of condiments, mustard. But it exists.
The National Mustard Museum of America was founded by Barry Levenson in 1992, and quickly became something of a global phenomenon. It is now home to more than 5,400 mustards, with varieties from all 50 US states and from 70 countries worldwide (all housed within the museum’s Great Wall of Mustard).
Other highlights of this zany spot include the history of mustard shown at the Mustardpiece Theatre, as well as some exquisite examples of mustard-related memorabilia, such as antique tins and jars, and vintage advertisements.
Oh, and don’t forget to stop by the Tasting Bar for a spoonful or two of the hot stuff on your way out.
Leprechaun Museum, Ireland
What did I know about leprechauns before I discovered the Leprechaun Museum in Ireland? Well, that they’re small, green and hold clues to the whereabouts of pots of gold, of course.
But it seems there’s lots more to them than that, with this Irish museum doing its best to shed lots of light onto its ‘national creature’.
There’s plenty to walk through, including crepe paper rainbows, giant furniture (to help you become leprechaun-sized) and stories of Ireland’s mythical otherworld. Bizarrely, there isn’t one leprechaun to be spotted anywhere!
Stalin World, Lithuania
Part museum, part theme park, part really, really strange. Nevertheless, this quirky place – officially known as Grūtas Park – has drawn hundreds of thousands in its short lifespan and become a major attracting in its hometown of Druskininkai.
Visitors are invited into a Soviet-inspired world, traipsing along wooden walkways resembling those in Siberian prison camps to get from one exhibition to the next. Statues of Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin and other Soviet leaders look down, and barbed-wire fences and guard towers surround them.
The serious message behind all this encourages present and future generations to laugh in the face of past horrors… while enjoying a swing in the lunapark.