8 of the most unusual museums in Europe, with themes that include money, miniatures and masses of ships in bottles
- Europe has some odd museums dedicated to quirky subjects: ships in bottles, coins and notes; even funeral carriages through the ages
- Experience life before World War II at the Museum of the Thirties in Paris, while the jilted may want to look around Croatia’s Museum of Broken Relationships
For every world-famous European museum like the Louvre or Prado, there’s one that flies under the radar. The following quirky and unusual museums aren’t as well known as they should be.
1. Bottle Peter’s Museum, Denmark
Denmark’s Aero Island is known primarily for its windswept beaches and collection of colourful, cute-as-a-button cottages, but this quirky museum dedicated to one man’s passion for ships in bottles also pulls in the crowds.
Bottle Peter (born: 1873) – as he came to be known – was an accomplished sailor and managed to build more than 1,700 bottle ships in his lifetime, and they’re on display here for all to enjoy.
2. The Museum of Funeral Carriages, Spain
A Barcelona museum dedicated to the art of sending someone off in style, this collection features over a dozen funeral carriages, six processional carriages and three motor vehicles used in historical funerals.
The purpose of the museum is to shine a light on the symbolism of funeral rites and how customs evolved over the 19th and 20th centuries. And if that’s not enough for you, this museum is the only one of its kind in Europe.
3. Museum of the Thirties, France
The reputation of the Roaring 20s is well known, while the 1930s has a tendency to get overlooked. Not at this boutique museum in Paris, where the 1930s get their due with exhibits and displays of the art and popular culture of the decade.