A splash of art, some dash of history and a little slice of preserved literature, museums have always been the window to the times gone by. A walk through a museum is often to romance with the past, appreciate the artist’s vision in the form of the exhibit and linger on a little longer than usual on some intriguing displays.

But would it all change if those museums were to be about death, occult, diseases or even penises?

Believe it or not, there are museums celebrating all these and many more such eccentricities. And drawing huge crowds too from around the world.

Here are some of the world’s weirdest museums (although, weirdest may be a small superlative for some of them here) around the world, in no particular order.

1. Meguro Parasitological Museum

Tokyo, Japan

Image Source: Flickr @Guilhem_Vellut

About 300 actual specimens of parasites with the highlight being a 30-foot tapeworm, this one is not for the faint-hearted. Did we mention about entry being free?

2. Icelandic Phallological Museum

Reykjavík, Iceland
 A museum devoted to all things penile, with about 280 specimens from 93 species of animals including whales. A human penis has finally made it to this coveted display.

3. Museum of Bad Art

Boston, USA

Image Source: Flickr @Connie Ma

Popularly called MOBA, its aim is to collect ‘art too bad to be ignored’. And what do you say when the co-founder defends the idea as, “We are here to celebrate an artist’s right to fail, gloriously.”?

4. Museum of Witchcraft

Cornwall, England

Exhibits encompassing all things occult, witchcraft and Wiccan, this museum has the largest number of artifacts including human remains. A warning on the museum’s portal says, ‘People with children of a sensitive disposition are warned that some of the exhibits are controversial.’ Need we say more?

5. Sulabh International Museum of Toilets

New Delhi, India

After parasites, phallus and occult, a museum dedicated to chronicling facts, pictures, objects related to the evolution of toilets makes it to the list. There are detailed accounts of toilet etiquette, sanitary conditions and toilet related social customs. Look out for a throne-like pot once used by a French emperor. Entry is free!

6. Torture Museum

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

A museum that exhibits the gruesome history of human cruelty complete with the instruments used, there is no doubt in their tagline, ‘Scaring the hell out of you.’

7. Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

Osaka, Japan

Japan takes its ramen noodles very seriously and hence you will find a museum dedicated to ramen noodles and its founder Momofuku Ando. There is a detailed display on the evolution of ramen noodles but the most amazing part of the tour is getting to make your own noodles!

8. Avanos Hair Museum

Cappadocia, Turkey

About 16,000 locks of human hair adorn the walls of this museum, with any female visitor always welcome to add hers to the display. Plus, every once or twice a year, while winners are chosen for best locks, the previous winners are invited for a stay. Motivated to part with a part of your goldilocks, are you?

9. International Cryptozoology Museum

Portland, United States

The mythical creatures have been studied and chronicled in this museum for long. Why mythical and unverified animals? Did you not get the name of it? Well, cryptozoology stands for ‘study of hidden animals’. There!

10. Siriraj Medical Museum

Bangkok, Thailand

Nicknamed ‘Museum of Death’, on display are amongst many other things, skulls and other body parts of murder victims. Notable among these are the mummified remains of Thailand’s first known serial killer. One more reason to visit Bangkok, perhaps?

11. Sewer Museum

Paris, France

There is Louvre. And then there is Sewer Museum. A museum that takes you through the history, engineering and insights of the much-famed Paris sewage system. Interesting!

12. Currywurst Museum

Berlin, Germany

What ramen is to Japanese, sausage is to Germans. And they paid an ode to their favorite currywurst sausage by creating a museum, which without fail heightens your senses of smell, sight and sound as you take a walk amidst its interactive exhibits and displays. Nom nom!

13. National Museum of Funeral History

Texas, United States

Funeral service is a serious affair and that you shall learn when you visit this place. Educating visitors on various death and funeral traditions and customs, this museum houses original death artifacts used in funerals of the US presidents and even popes. They call it educating about ‘death care’. How profound!

By the end of this list, ‘weird’ gets a whole new meaning! Agree? Or, do you have more that can make it to this ‘coveted’ list?

Naina Madan

From CA to advertising to writing, life has been a true roller-coaster ride. Not that I mind it. When not figuring out how to earn money to finance the travel, coffee and books, I am day-dreaming the travel, the coffee smell and virtually sniffing through new released books.

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