With many travellers rejecting the typical tourist spots in favour of more unique experiences, there has been an increase in demand for museums with unusual collections.
And, in a new study, 2,000 Brits have voted to crown the quirkiest museums in Europe, showing everything from sewers, torture – and even phalluses.
The data was compiled by easyJet and comes as 84 per cent of people asked said they would pay more for novelty or rarity.
Icelandic Phallological Museum
The Icelandic capital of Reykjavik is home to the world’s only scientific penis museum, which is dedicated to collecting, studying and presenting phalluses.
Pictured: The Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik, Iceland
The museum has more than 300 penises and penile parts from more than 100 species of mammal, as well as 22 imagined phalluses from creatures and peoples of Icelandic folklore.
The site has become a popular tourist attraction with thousands of visitors a year.
Paris Sewer Museum
Immersed in mystery, the sewers of Paris have always fascinated the public and attracted many visitors.
Pictured is the entrance of the Musée des Egouts de Paris, the Paris sewers museum
Installed in the Alma factory, initially a siphon in the heart of an operating site, visitors can walk 500 meters under the line of the sewers to discover a city below the city.
The museum details the history of the sewers from their initial development to their modern structure, which was designed in the 19th century. The museum also details the role of sewer workers and methods of water treatment.
Torture Museum, Amsterdam
Amsterdam is home to no shortage of museums, meaning that to stand out, they need to have a clear, unique selling point.
Described as ‘one of the world’s most unusual museums,’ the Torture Museum houses a display of more than 40 torture and punishment instruments from across Europe, especially from the Middle Ages, from the inquisition chair to the guillotine.
Inviting visitors to discover the painful past, the museum offers a chilling and immersive experience.
Museum Of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft
Another Icelandic museum to top the rankings is the Museum Of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft – or ‘Galdrasafnið’ in Icelandic.
The museum in the small town of Hólmavík tells the story of the witch craze in Iceland in the 17th century and how witchcraft is presented in Icelandic folklore.
The website boldly declares: ‘We tell tales of magic.’
Froggyland, Croatia
Known for its display of 21 dioramas, this museum in in Split, Croatia, contains a collection of 507 different taxidermy frogs, posed to appear as if they are participating in human activities.
Froggyland is a world famous stuffed frog museum. The collection consists of 507 stuffed frogs of a common European frog species shown in various daily human situation in the collection that dates to 1910
The collection first consisted of 1000 samples, 507 of which have been preserved in a perfect condition.
Museum of Miniatures, Prague
An exhibition at the Museum of Miniature in Prague
In Prague, Czech Republic, the Museum of Miniatures has one of the biggest collections of microminiature art in Europe.
Some pieces are so small they need to be viewed with a microscope or magnifying device, including 10 camels carved in the eye of a needle, the Lord’s Prayer written on a strand of hair and a carving of the Eiffel Tower which is 1/10 of an inch.
House of Illusions, Slovenia
Located in the heart of Ljubljana, Slovenia, the House of Illusions describes itself as a museum full of fun and educational experience, where you can test the limits of your perception.
With more than 70 exhibits, visitors will get their senses tested, from experiencing an upside-down room, to having a friend’s head for lunch and, only for the brave, a walk through the Vortex tunnel.
Surgeons’ Hall Museums, Edinburgh
Edinburgh is home to one of the largest and most historic pathology collections in the United Kingdom.
This medical museum, which includes real human remains, represents the changing nature of medical and scientific teaching and research since the late 18th century.
Museum of Broken Relationships, Croatia
Pictured: Museum items in the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia
The Museum of Broken Relationship in Zagreb, Croatia, features a diverse collection of objects, such as, watches, a hairdryer, and a key ring, each representing a personal story of a past relationship.
Each exhibit is accompanied by a personal story. One review reads: ‘Unique and poignant museum that is full of equally heartbreaking and funny tales of heartbreak.’
Dialog Museum, Germany
Both a social enterprise and a museum, Dialog Museum in Frankhurt, Germany offers guided tours by blind or visually impaired experts through a lightless course with changing themed rooms.
The museum is considered an outstanding example of social entrepreneurship snd claims to be an ‘incomparable role reversal, training the senses and empathy’.
One review says: ‘Such a unique experience. Opens your mind to a whole new way of understanding the world.’
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