The World's Weirdest Museums

When you think about museums, you probably think of old paintings worth lots of money and busts made of plaster of Paris, but there are also some strange museums full of things that you would never expect to see. This list includes some of the strangest, weirdest, yet interesting museums in the world.

10. Icelandic Phallological Museum (Husavik, Iceland):

As the names suggests, this museum is devoted to the study of phallus taken from every mammal in Iceland. There are currently no human specimens; however, an elderly man in his nineties has signed the necessary paperwork to leave his part when he dies.

According to their website, they currently have 30 whale specimens, a specimen taken from a rogue polar bear, and fifty-one seal and walrus specimens on display, among others.

The Icelandic Phallogical Museum is open Noon to 6:00 p.m. daily May 20-September 10.

For more information, you may email them at phallus@phallus.is

9. The Mutter Museum (19 South 22nd St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.):

The Mutter Museum is another interesting but weird museum. Their collection includes wax models of skin disease from the 19th century, skulls and longbones that depict the ravages of syphilis and the skeleton of a woman who wore her corset a bit to tightly causing her ribcage to be compressed.

Another weird display at The Mutter Museum is that of a woman who died in the 1830's or 1840's and is called the Soap Lady. After she died, the fat in her body turned into adipocere which is similar in composition to lye soap.

Hours of Operation:

Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Admission:

General admission (Adults 18-64) $14.00
Children (6-17) $10.00
Seniors (65+) $10.00
Students with a valid ID $10.00
Military with a valid ID $10.00

The museum is wheelchair accessible and is available at the rear entrance of the building on Van Pelt Street. Press the intercom button and let them know that you are there to visit the museum and need wheelchair access. Someone who will assist you will then meet you.

8. Museum of Witchcraft (The Harbour in Boscastle, Cornwall):

Cecil Williamson opened the Museum of Witchcraft in 1951 in Castletown in the Isle of Man before and is now located in Boscastle, Cornwall, England. It holds the worlds largest collection of witchcraft artifacts and more than 3000 books on witchcraft and magic.

Displays include Spells and Charms, a collection of mandrake on loan by the family of Bob Richel who was a Dutch collector, Stone Circles and Sacred Sites, and the Richel Collection (a collection of ritual and sex magic artifacts).

Location:

The Harbour in Boscastle, Cornwall on the North coast of Cornwall between Tintagel and Bude.

The museum may be contacted by calling 0184 250111 if you live in the U.K. or +44 1840 250111 if you're an International caller, or you may email them museumofwitchcraft@aol.com

7. Sulabh International Toilet Museum (New Dehli, India):

Displays the evolution of toilets and their various designs in different countries and times.

Hours of operation:

The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location and Contact Information:

For more information, you may call 91-11-25031518-19 or email them at sulabhl@nde.vsnl.net.in

6. Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments (Krizovnicke, Prague, Czech Republic next to McDonalds on the way to Prague Castle):

Located in Krizovnicke in the Czech Republic, this museum has on display over 60 torture devices that were used during the medieval time period and includes illustrative engravings with translations in many International languages.

The museum is open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily and admission is about $12.00 U.S. and they accept MasterCard and Visa.

5. Vent Haven Museum (33 West Maple Avenue, Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky):

The Vent Haven Museum is the only museum in the world that displays ventriloquil figures and momorablilia.

Figures include:

"Champagne Charlie" - Joined the collection in 1938 and is a life-sized walking figure.

"Farmer's Wife" - An incomplete figure with a head and trunk only. She was used by Vaudeville-era ventriloquist "The Great Raynard". She is also known as "Rachel the Gossip Lady".

"Jacko" - Created by George and Glenn McElroy sometime between 1939-1941, he's made of plastic wood and has an upper lip made from a woman's kid glove.

"Granny" - Created in 1850, she joined the collection the same year. Granny has winking eyes and a smoker device that allows the figure to simulate smoking.

Admission to the museum is $5.00. The museum doesn't carry regular hours and tours are available by appointment only May 1-September 30. To schedule a tour, you may call 859-341-0461 and ask for Lisa Sweasy, Curator.

Groups of less than 15 people are required to give at least 3 days advanced notice. The museum required large groups to give two-weeks advance notice.

4. Winchester Mystery House (525 S Winchester Blvd. San Jose, California):

This mansion was built by Sarah Winchester, Winchester Rifle heiress. Sarah was convinced she was being haunted by those who had been killed by the rifle and in order to escape from these ghosts, continued to add
on to her home. Amazingly, the mansion began construction in 1884 and it wasn't until 1922 that it was completed.

The Winchester Mystery House has about 40 bedrooms, 40 staircases, 467 doors, and more. Staircases go to the ceiling and doors go nowhere. The tour consists of 110 of the 160 rooms.

Admission is $25.00 per person 10-years old and older. The house is not accessible to wheelchairs or baby strollers.

3. The Torture Museum - Amsterdam (Singel 449, 1012 WP Amsterdam):

This museum is pretty gruesome. On display are items used for the sole purpose of torture.

Displays include:

A "Horse" - If used right, this device could inflict a lot of pain.

A stretching table - I think that's pretty self-explanatory.

A large cage that was used to put a person in and left to die. The cage was usually left hanging in the market area, serving as a warning to others. Yikes!

They have a large saw on display that was used to cut a person in half. Artwork shows a person hanging upside-down with hands and ankles tied to those poles. They were then sawed in two vertically.

The Torture Museum in Amsterdam is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

For more information, you may email them at info@torturemuseum.com

2. Devil's Rope Museum (100 Kingsley St., McLean, Texas):

The Devil's Rope Museum is located in the small town of McLean, Texas. It houses thousands of common and rare wire specimens, as well as tools and devices used in constructing and maintaining barb wire fences.

The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Winter hours depend on the weather.

For more information, email the museum at barbwiremuseum@centramedia.net

1. Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum (2-14-21 Shin-Yokohama, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 222):

If you're into Ramen noodles, this museum is for you!

Devoted to everything Ramen, the museum has displays of Ramen-making utensils, Ramen bowls, curtains, aprons...The list goes on. The walls are even decorated with Ramen packets from around the world. The TV continuously plays Ramen noodle commercials spanning 25-years.

There is also a replica of the very first Ramen dish eaten by samurai Mito Komen way back in the 17th century.

Admission:

Adults 300 yen; children 100 yen.

The museum is open 11am to 11pm (last admission 10pm), and is closed Tuesdays, except for national holidays.