Eight quirky museums around the world

Park your normal views of what constitutes a good museum.  If you really want to understand human culture, then as well as the Tate and the Louvre and the Museo del Prado there’s also the Spam Museum in Minnesota or the Museum of Broken Relationships in Croatia.  Here are eight of the strangest..

DEUTSCHES CURRYWURST MUSEUM (BERLIN, GERMANY)

At one of the quirkiest museums in Berlin, the currywurst is elevated to an art form. The museum includes a replica of the kitchen where the dish – which is a bratwurst on a bun topped with a mix of ketchup and curry powder – was created, a comprehensive map of all the currywurst shops in the city, and of course a gift shop full of currywurst merchandise.

RAMONES MUSEUM (BERLIN, GERMANY)

Another Berlin museum, this one is dedicated to the Ramones. Created by a fan of the band, the museum traces their history and showcases memorabilia and photos from throughout their career. The museum also hosts live music shows.

LEILA’S HAIR MUSEUM (INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI)

Not surprisingly proclaiming itself to be the only hair museum in the world, Leila’s Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri displays everything from jewellery made of hair to hair wreaths and photos “painted” with pulverized hair mixed with dyes. Locks of hair from famous people throughout history, including Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe, are also exhibited.

PHALLOLOGICAL MUSEUM (REYKJAVIK, ICELAND)

Ok, so you want to know what the penis of a whale looks like?  Now you can find out at the Phallological Museum in Iceland. Formerly housed in the small northern town of Husavik, the museum recently moved to Reykjavik, where it displays more than 200 penis specimens mounted on the walls and encased in glass jars.

And, you can sign up to make your own contribution to the collection after your death.

THE MUSEUM OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS (ZAGREB, CROATIA)

In Zagreb’s Museum of Broken Relationships, you can relive breakups that are at times both heart-breaking and hilarious. Here the most mundane of objects are each displayed alongside sad stories of love lost. Many of the stories are quite moving; take a hankie!

SPAM MUSEUM (AUSTIN, MINNESOTA)

My personal favourite.  And as lovers of Spam and Monty Python would say, Spam, Spam, Spam!   At the Austin, Minnesota, store and museum, you can watch a short video on the history of SPAM, learn about the role Spam played in World War II, practice on a mock assembly line, and fill up on samples of the more than dozen varieties currently in production. Bloody Vikings!

BRITISH LAWNMOWER MUSEUM

Many people say my Lawnmower is an antique and should be in a museum. Well here it is,  The British Lawnmower Museum, which is also a shop, displays some of the first lawnmowers ever made, some of the most expensive mowing machines, and some of the fastest lawnmowers used throughout the years. While a visit sounds about as exciting as watching grass grow, there are those that will find this wonderful.

MUSEUM OF TOILETS (INDIA)

India’s Museum of Toilets actually has a greater purpose – to raise awareness of the health issues caused by improper sanitation, but it does displays toilets ranging from some of the earlier loos to the “thrones” used by royalty.

If anyone has any other quirky museums, please me know!

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