Let's face it: there's an audience for anything. What some tourists find unpleasant, others may say it's their cup of tea. That same formula also applies to cultural activities and touristic attractions such as museums, even the more unconventional ones.
The Dog Collar Museum, Leeds (UK): The name says it all and attracts nearly half a million pet lovers every year! Located in Leeds Castle, the museums displays more than 100 items dating back centuries and celebrates the last owner of the estate, Lady Baillie, devotion to dogs. The history of these accessories is documented with antique collars and also includes spiked ones and, more recently, sparkly fashion items that turned streets into canine catwalks.
Currywurst Museum, Berlin (Germany): It shouldn't be surprising that this dish of German origin has it own museum. This steamed pork sausage cut into slices and seasoned with warm curry ketchup is an icon of German culture and can easily be found pretty much anywhere in the city. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of its creation, the Currywurst Museum opened in 2006 and, according to curator Martin Loewer "no other German dish inspires so much history and has so many well-known fans".
The Museum of Bad Art, Boston (US): This probably would have left Picasso scratching his bald head, but the 600 pieces displayed in a gallery conveniently located in a old basement attract tourists from all over the world. Scott Wilson, the founder, finally gives us the reason to utter the words "I could do that" and actually mean it. "Lucy in the Field with Flowers" is the museum's most-prized possession (just picture a floating old lady in a colorful nightmare of flowers) and the painting that started it all, after Wilson found it on the trash. Celebrate bad art with a car hire in the US and explore the best (and worst) museums!
Paris Sewer Musem, Paris (France): It sounds much better when you say in it french, but the concept is still there. The city's sewer system was described by Victor Hugo in 1862's Les Misérables "...Paris has another Paris under herself, a Paris of sewers; which has its streets, its crossing, its squares, its blind alleys, its arteries, and its circulation, which is slime, minus the human form". It was also featured in novels such as The Phantom of the Opera and The Underground City. Stroll through real sewer tunnels where you'll find museum-like attractions and information about the construction of the sewer system.
Torture Museum, Amsterdam (Netherlands): Not for the faint of heart, this museum displays rusty instruments from guillotines to chairs of nails. Detailed explanations are sure to enlighten visitors, telling exactly what these instruments were used for. It may not best the best ice breaker idea, but there's plenty to learn here, including some facts about how some forms of torture still exist in the 21st century.
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