Eight of the Strangest Objects in European Museums
A roundup of bizarre museum exhibits across Europe includes a giant hairball from a cow's stomach at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow; the Anatomical Venus, a wax anatomical model from the late 1700s at La Specola in Florence; an axe used to destroy furniture after a breakup, donated in 2005 to the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb; a fake mermaid from the 19th century at the University of Edinburgh's anatomical collection; a 19th-century sewer boat at the Paris Sewer Museum; an alchemist's furnace at the Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague; Merdacotta tiles made from cow manure at the Museo Della Merda in Castelbosco, founded in 2015; and a cherry-stone Eiffel Tower from the late 20th century at the Museum of Miniatures in Prague.
Key facts
- The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow displays a 19th-century trichobezoar from a cow's stomach.
- La Specola in Florence houses the Anatomical Venus, a wax model made in the late 1700s.
- The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb received a breakup axe in 2005.
- The University of Edinburgh's anatomical collection includes a 19th-century fake mermaid.
- The Paris Sewer Museum exhibits a 19th-century sewer boat used by égoutiers.
- The Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague features a reconstructed alchemist's workshop.
- Museo Della Merda in Castelbosco, founded in 2015, displays Merdacotta tiles made from cow manure.
- The Museum of Miniatures in Prague has a late 20th-century cherry-stone Eiffel Tower.
Entities
Artists
- Edward Kelley
- David Teniers the Younger
Institutions
- Hunterian Museum
- La Specola
- Museum of Broken Relationships
- University of Edinburgh
- Paris Sewer Museum
- Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague
- Museo Della Merda
- Museum of Miniatures
Locations
- Glasgow
- Scotland
- Florence
- Italy
- Zagreb
- Croatia
- Edinburgh
- Paris
- France
- Prague
- Czech Republic
- Castelbosco
- India