From stinky tofu to spicy rabbit heads, how did these collections end up in museums?

In our impression, museums are usually serious and elegant, and most of the exhibits are historical relics, paintings, celebrity manuscripts, specimens, etc. However, in some museums, stinky tofu and hamster Ding Ding are exhibited...

These strange collections come from the following 7 weird museums. They break the routine and display all kinds of weird and strange things that will definitely make you exclaim!

Underwater Sculpture Museum

📍Cancun, Mexico

The Cancun Underwater Sculpture Museum brings together a variety of sculptures, but unlike other museums, all of these sculptures are placed underwater. Visitors need to dive, snorkel or take a glass boat to visit these underwater works of art.

To visit this underwater museum, you need to do some "outdoor sports"｜Museo Subacuatico de Arte

Underwater sculpture of a boy wearing Crocs｜Museo Subacuatico de Arte

This museum was built by the Cancun Ocean Park and the Marine Environmental Protection Association in Mexico. Normally, the exhibits in a museum will remain in their original form, but the sculptures here will change over time . Why is that?

In fact, these underwater sculptures are made of eco-concrete , and most of the sculptures have uneven surfaces, which are conducive to the attachment and growth of corals, and suitable for the reproduction of fish and other plankton . Over time, these sculptures have become part of the marine aquatic environment, no longer static exhibits, but microhabitats full of vitality and ever-changing.

Beautiful marine sculpture niche｜Museo Subacuatico de Arte

Penis Museum

📍Reykjavik, Iceland

Some people like to collect feathers, some like to pick up shells, and some like to collect animal penises, such as Icelandic historian Sigurður Hjartarso. Although it sounds a bit strange, Hjartarso has developed these personal collections into the world's only penis museum . Now, this natural history museum has more than 280 collections, including animal penis specimens and handicrafts made from animal penises.

Serious, classy, ​​and no age limit for visitors｜The Icelandic Phallological Museum

When the museum's founder, Hutson, was young, he received a bullwhip as a gift, which was his first penis collection. Later, he received some animal penises from his friends, and since then he has been interested in collecting penises of various animals. He has obtained many collections from slaughterhouses and whales stranded on the beach. Hutson said: " Collecting penises is like collecting anything else. You will never stop and you will never be satisfied . You can always get a newer one, a better one."

Founder Hartson once dreamed of collecting the penises of the entire Icelandic mammal group. Now, he has done it｜The Icelandic Phallological Museum

The largest piece in the museum is a blue whale penis, weighing 70 kilograms and 170 centimeters long ; however, this is only the top part of it. The complete organ is about 5 meters long and weighs 350-450 kilograms. The smallest piece in the museum is a hamster penis bone, which is only 2 millimeters long and can only be seen with the help of a microscope. From these collections, visitors can intuitively see the anatomical structure and evolutionary differences of different species.

All shapes and sizes | Documentary "The Last Member"

Giant animal genitalia specimens｜The Icelandic Phallological Museum

In fact, phallology is an ancient discipline in the natural sciences . In addition to being a feast for the eyes of curious visitors, this museum also provides an organized and scientific research environment to make this research field more important. The exhibition not only introduces the mating patterns of different animals, but also records folk tales in Iceland and the Arctic.

International Cryptozoology Museum

📍Portland, USA

This is a veritable "magical animal" museum founded by zoologist Loren Coleman.

It feels like being in a collector's living room. There are colorful stories in every corner｜International Cryptozoology Museum

Not only are there real specimens of hidden animals on display here, such as the "living fossil" coelacanth and the rare megamouth shark that existed hundreds of millions of years ago, but also fantastical creatures that have not been scientifically confirmed , such as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot in North America, the Himalayan Yeti, and models of the red-haired dwarf, as well as evidence of their survival.

Founder and Director, Loren Coleman | International Cryptozoology Museum

"Living fossils" from ancient times: coelacanth (left) and Bigfoot (right) ｜International Cryptozoology Museum

There are no rabbits with antlers in real life (but what if?) | International Cryptozoology Museum

These legendary creatures do not seem to exist at present. They are just the result of human exploration of the unknown and wild imagination . Considering the extremely large diversity of microorganisms, scientists predicted in 2016 that there are at least 100 billion species of organisms on Earth, of which less than 2 million are currently known to humans . Maybe in the future biologists will really discover the real version of these magical creatures.

Disgusting Food Museum

📍Malmö, Sweden

When it comes to making food, people are always ingenious and creative.

Although it is called the Disgusting Food Museum, here you can find spicy rabbit heads, fermented bean curd, stinky tofu, century eggs... that you might like to eat ... In addition to China's "disgusting food", Japan's natto, Sardinia's maggot cheese, Indonesia's cat poop coffee, Iceland's aged shark, Peru's frog smoothie, and Thailand's durian are also on display in the museum.

Is there really anyone who doesn’t like century eggs with porridge? ｜Disgusting Food Museum

The Disgusting Food Museum consists of two parts: the exhibition area and the tasting area . Visitors first learn about the strange foods and the stories behind them through the exhibition, and then enter the tasting area to try some of the disgusting foods selected by the museum. However, here is a little tip: from the opening of the museum in 2018 to August 2021, there have been 108 vomiting incidents here.

Who wouldn't want to try some disgusting food when visiting here? ｜Disgusting Food Museum

Sticky and stinky natto is also on the list｜Disgusting Food Museum

In India, cow urine is said to not only “cure all diseases”, but can also be used to clean floors｜Disgusting Food Museum

Food not only fills our stomachs, but also reflects human creativity and wisdom. Understanding different food cultures is also a way to understand different ethnic groups and countries.

The food that we find hard to swallow may be an indispensable part of other people's eating habits . The original intention of the founder to establish this disgusting food museum was to connect people from different regions through food, convey cultural diversity, and break the barriers caused by cultural differences . This is why, although there are many disgusting foods on display in China, the museum still respectfully calls China a "great culinary power."

European Bread Museum

📍Ebergzen, Germany

The standards for disgusting food may vary, but bread should be a delicious staple food that everyone recognizes!

European bread, which is popular all over the world, has a history of more than 6,000 years . This bread museum, founded in 1970, not only displays various kinds of European bread, but also introduces interesting stories about grain processing and agricultural development.

From grains to flour to dough to the slices of European bread on the table, the bread that feeds us is created from the fruits of nature. ｜Europäisches Brotmuseum in Ebergötzen

Seeds from around the world | Europäisches Brotmuseum in Ebergötzen

Bread used in Western weddings is reminiscent of Chinese carved pastries｜GÖTTINGER JAHRBUCH

There is also an outdoor exhibition area covering 10,000 square meters outside the museum, where visitors can not only visit the grain garden, but also see the historic mill and European bread ovens from various eras.

It feels like coming to a bread farm｜Europäisches Brotmuseum in Ebergötzen

A very original European bread oven | Europäisches Brotmuseum in Ebergötzen

The museum also offers bread baking activities. ｜Europäisches Brotmuseum in Ebergötzen

Lawn Mower Museum

📍Merseyside, UK

In 1830, British engineer Edwin Beard invented the lawn mower. Originally, he designed a cloth-cutting machine for textile mills, but he creatively adapted it for mowing grass, using a rotating blade to trim the grass . The first lawn mowers required two people to operate - one person pulling in front and one pushing in the back. Although it was a bit crude, the drum-type cutting principle is still used today .

Edwin and the first lawnmower he designed｜British Lawnmower Museum

Now, lawn mowers have developed a variety of styles, from small one-handed push to large car-like driving, from private gardens to park lawns . The history of lawn mower development is condensed into this museum - the world's fastest, smallest, and the first solar lawn mower can be found in the museum, and there are even lawn mowers used by Prince Charles and Princess Diana of the United Kingdom.

The world's first power-driven reciprocating blade mower | The British Lawnmower Museum

The engine of the hovercraft lawnmower is mounted on a trash can lid. The British Lawnmower Museum

Since 1973, the UK has held the Lawnmower Racing Grand Prix every year, and the competition information is also included in the museum.

Browse images to help the Lawnmower Grand Prix upgrade its equipment | The British Lawnmower Museum, The British Lawn Mower Racing Association

Volcano House Museum

📍Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland is located between the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate. Due to geological activity, Iceland has many volcanoes, so it is also called the "Arctic Active Island" . It is no surprise that Iceland has a volcano museum called "Volcano House".

The "Volcano House" shows two documentaries about volcanic eruptions every day, telling the process of the volcanic eruption and the refuge life of local residents. One of the missions of the "Volcano House" is to let visitors understand the real situation of people's lives when volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are part of daily life.

Geologists explain how volcanoes affect the surrounding landscape in the museum｜Viator.com

There is also a large collection of volcanic pumice, volcanic ash and lava samples formed after volcanic eruptions, as well as various volcano-themed photography and paintings.

Spectacular sight of a volcanic eruption | Viator.com

Weird volcanic rocks｜Viator.com

If documentaries and exhibits are not enough to satisfy your curiosity, visitors can also join the museum's tour group to visit Iceland's local volcanoes in person.

After visiting these museums online, do you have some bold ideas? What other museums with strange themes do you want to see? Nominations are open in the comments section👇

References

[1] https://musamexico.org/

[2] https://www.phallus.is/

[3] https://cryptozoologymuseum.com/

[4] https://disgustingfoodmuseum.com/

[5] https://www.brotmuseum.de/portal/startseite.html

[6] http://www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk/

[7] https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g189970-d2190086-Reviews-Volcano_House-Reykjavik_Capital_Region.html

[8] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/apr/22/experience-i-opened-the-worlds-largest-penis-museum

[9] https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/898831

Author: Bowl

Editor: Mai Mai

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)

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