Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Misc
Five Must-Visit Oddities Museums Around The World
By
Alison Lowenstein
Published Mar 24, 2014
Modified Mar 27, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 42
By
Alison Lowenstein
Published Mar 24, 2014
Modified Mar 27, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This week, we're launching Gothamist's travel content, Gothamist Getaways. Four times a year, we'll have a week of posts featuring looks at travel, food, products and tips, near and far, for making your trips more pleasurable. So enjoy and let us know if you have any hints for us—email [email protected].
New York City is getting its first museum of oddities. The Morbid Anatomy Museum opens in the Gowanus on June 6th, with an exhibit on Walter Potter, a 19th century English taxidermist who ran a bizarre museum in rural England. But you don't have to wait until June to visit a museum packed with unusual collections. We asked the museum's creative director, Joanna Ebenstein, her favorite picks for oddity museums around the world.
Before you pack your bags to travel around Europe to visit these museums, if you'd like a sneak peak at the Morbid Anatomy Museum, they're hosting a free event on Saturday April 26th at 8pm to celebrate the launch of the Morbid Anatomy Anthology.
Pitt RiversLocated at Oxford University, this English museum’s archeological and anthropological collections include teeth from Borneo skull trophies. Ebenstein claims Pitt Rivers "Might be the best museum in the world, and I'd like to spend the rest of my life there."
Le Musée Fragonard Head to Paris to visit this museum housed at one of the world's oldest veterinary schools. The Fragonard Museum has a display of écorchés, which are 18th century flayed cadavers.
Kunstkamera In St. Petersburg, Russia, Kunstkamera, also known as the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography, was founded by Peter the Great and houses his collection of curiosities. Ebenstein notes the museum has "the most special collection of human remains," including those from Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch.
Wellcome Collection This London Museum, which refers to itself as the "free destination for the incurably curious" houses early 20th century pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome collection of shrunken heads, glass eyes, prosthetic limbs and much more. Ebenstein says Wellcome "is the closest thing to Morbid Anatomy's spiritual home." She also adds, "The temporary exhibitions they do--on such topics as skin, wax anatomical models, drugs, and dirt--are brilliant, provocative, and visually rich.”
La Specola Museum An 18th century medical museum in Florence, Italy. Ebenstein highlighted the museum's Anatomical Venus, a life sized wax woman with real hair displayed in Venetian glass and rosewood case.
Alison Lowenstein, Gothamist Getaways editor, is the author of NYC guidebooks, and travel articles for National Geographic Traveler, Newsday, NY Daily News, Travelandleisure.com, etc. When she isn’t planning trips, she enjoys jogging around the streets of NYC. Despite her athletic pursuits, her favorite food is the donut. You can find her at Twitter, @cityweekendsnyc.
Tagged
gothamist getaways
Oddities
Oddities Museum
Oddity Museum
original
Alison Lowenstein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE miscellaneous
We visited 8 laundromats to talk about voting and elections. Here's what people had to say.
As we inch closer to Election Day in November, WNYC is turning some laundromats in the New York metro area into hubs of civic dialogue.
By
Jodi Malarbe
and
George Bodarky
Published Jun 23, 2024
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Misc
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Hands in the dirt: Meet some of NYC's community gardeners
By
Enrico Denard
and
George Bodarky
'In the very, very beginning, it was about 3 feet of garbage': How NYC’s first community garden got started
By
George Bodarky
Serving up BBQ ribs and a deep sense of community in the South Bronx since 1954
By
George Bodarky
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .