These are rarities, places dedicated to something that nobody noticed or just curiosities spread across Spain. We have all stumbled upon some of these sites and have asked “What…?”. They are curious museums in spain, there is a wide variety of them, dedicated to the most distinct topics. Today we bring you an overview of some of the most curious museums in Spain, which does not mean that they are not interesting, educational and even funny or spooky.
Located in the Asturian town of Luarca, this is an exhibit dedicated to the most important cephalopods. Inside we can find nine impressive giant squids, including a female that exceeds 13 meters in length after only 17 months of life. Together with these incredible beings that amused fishermen’s stories for centuries, we find a collection of abyssal animals and focus on explaining how they managed to survive in depths surpassing 5,000 meters. Unfortunately, due to a storm that destroyed the Asturian coast in 2014, the museum is currently closed until further notice
Yes, you read that right: in Rodrigo City, Salamanca, a museum as unique as this exists. The museum has pieces of the most diverse variety and origin, some of them true works of art. The intention is to offer a tour through its history with more than 1,300 urinals and toilets dating from the 13th to the 20th century. The museum, once a traveling exposition that toured much of Spain, is the result of the enthusiastic efforts of its creator, Jose María del Arco, for whom it is “the culmination of a dream that began 27 years ago”.
In 1994, the artist Jesús Mateo began to create his own exhibition: a series of murals for the abandoned and deteriorated San Juan Bautista church in the locality of Alarcón. Over time, the murals began to fill the institutions and, after some difficulties, the painter was able to carry out his plans for the building; the walls and ceilings were filled with images that told us the origin of life and man, of who we are and what we will be. The building was concluded in 2002. Today the church has been transformed into a work of non-religious art that is worth seeing, and even declared a world tourist interest by UNESCO.
Less idealistic is this museum located in Santillana del Mar, in Cantabria. This museum is a large collection of instruments used to inflict suffering from institutions like the Holy Inquisition. Within we find everything from chastity belts to garrotes, passing all kinds of tools that the most twisted imaginations designed to make others suffer. The tools range from the 15th to the 19th century, all original and organized in categories as creepy as “execution instruments” or “for exemplary punishment and public humiliation”. It is recommended to only visit with people who are mentally prepared for what they are going to see.
In 1610, the story of a young woman’s dream, in which she saw several neighbors participating in witchcraft, sparked an authentic witch fever in the remote village of Zugarramurdi. After the intervention of the Inquisition, the incident ended with the condemnation of 11 people by fire and since then the place has been nicknamed “the city of witches”. Although it wasn’t the only village, there are dates of similar occurrences in more than 60 villages in the region. The Museo de las Brujas, located in the Navarre locality, offers information about this dark time and the religious acts, while it serves as homage to all those who were accused of impossible acts, often due to worldly arguments or jealousy.
Do you know another curious museums in Spain?
