10 museums dedicated to mythical creatures

What kind of museums do not exist in our time! And quite familiar natural science, historical, artistic, etc. And not quite standard: for example, in Osaka (Japan) there is a museum of instant noodles; in Zagreb (Croatia) – a museum of divorces; in Kent (England) – a museum of dog collars; in Los Angeles (USA) – the Museum of Death; in Kyuritz (Germany) – a museum of lies, etc.

Well, for those who love a variety of mythical and mysterious creatures, such as vampires, gnomes, fairies or ghosts, many exhibitions, museums, galleries and similar establishments are also opening now. We want to present you the 10 most famous of them.

10 The National Leprechaun Museum (Dublin, Ireland)

If suddenly it seems to someone that he does not know who leprechauns are, we remind you: these are small creatures, very similar to gnomes, they adore gold and therefore collect it and hide it in secluded places (and to find leprechaun gold, according to legend, quite simply – it is always indicated by the end of the rainbow).

Leprechauns wear green coats and top hats. You’ve probably seen them (more specifically, people dressed up as these Irish folklore characters) if you’ve ever been to a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

The Irish still adore leprechauns and stories about them, and therefore they have dedicated an entire museum to these creatures. It opened in 2010 in Dublin, and it presents in some detail the history of not only leprechauns, but also other characters of the myths and legends of Ireland.

Many of the museum’s exhibits and attractions are based on optical illusions, allowing visitors to “see the world through the eyes of a leprechaun”: for example, sit on a giant chair and drink tea from a giant cup.

9. Loch Ness Center and Exhibition (Scotland)

But about Nessie, I think everyone has heard. It is believed that the first mention of this mysterious monster (a prehistoric ichthyosaur?) was left by the Roman legionnaires who conquered Britain, who discovered Celtic images of local animals on the shores of the Scottish Loch Ness lake, including a very strange “seal” of gigantic size with a long neck and a small head .

And already in the VI century, St. Columba allegedly drove away a very similar monster that drowned the inhabitants of nearby villages in the lake. Reports that a terrible monster (or even more than one!) Is found in Loch Ness appeared both in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, but at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the legend of Nessie blossomed wildly.

In 1932, a monster was seen on the shallows by a certain Miss MacDonald, in 1933 by the Mackay couple, who crossed the lake in a boat, Mr. Alexander Shaw with his son, the Clement family, Miss Nora Simpson, etc., etc. Well, in 1934, the London doctor Kenneth Wilson photographed Nessie for the first time (and only 60 years later it turned out that the picture was a fake).

Since then, both locals and tourists, as well as serious scientists with special equipment, have been trying to detect the monster, but the search has not yet been successful. It is to this long and complex history that the Loch Ness Exhibition Center is dedicated.

8. The Mothman Museum (Point Pleasant, West Virginia, USA)

In the second half of the 1960s. many residents of the town of Point Pleasant (in West Virginia) claimed to have seen a strange flying monster that looked like a man with huge wings and glowing red eyes in the dark.

What it was: a mass hallucination, a hoax, or some kind of incomprehensible (alien?) Being really chose the neighborhood of Point Pleasant, it seems, will remain a mystery.

Nevertheless, since then, the “Mothman” has become so popular in the United States that a book has been written about him (“Prophecies of the Mothman” by John Keel), a film has been made with Richard Gere (2001), a whole festival is dedicated to him, etc. .

Well, in Point Pleasant, of course, there is the Mothman Museum, which presents documents about the observation of the monster, props from the movie about him, etc. And in front of the museum is a 3-meter statue of this creature.

7. The Fairy Museum (Sebastopol, California, USA)

As you know, Americans generally adore a variety of monsters, fairy-tale characters, otherworldly creatures, etc. (we will see this once again when describing other museums of our ten). Another museum that we want to present to you is dedicated to much prettier creatures – fairies. They are known in most countries of the world.

Usually these are crumbs the size of a human little finger, most often playful or caustic. Fairies are like miniature and very beautiful girls with magical powers.

And of course, in the Fairy Museum, located in the Californian city of Sebastopol, you can learn many details about their life and habits – here are collected the most entertaining references to fairies in the myths and legends of different peoples. In addition, in the souvenir shop at the museum you can buy “magic dust from the wings of fairies”, various “magic” accessories, bells, etc.

6. Monroeville Zombies Museum (Evans City, Pennsylvania, USA)

If we talk about the most popular monsters in our time, then, without a doubt, zombies will be “at the top of the rating”. Now there is literally no escape from them anywhere: they are in the movies, in TV shows, and (naturally!) In computer games.

And even Jane Austen’s popular book “Pride and Prejudice” in 2009 survived the adaptation of the American writer, screenwriter and producer Seth Graham-Smith called “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” (which was made into a film in 2016).

And the modern “zombie epidemic” began back in 1978, after the release of George Romero’s film “Dawn of the Dead”, which was filmed in Monroeville – the shopping center of the town of Evans City.

It is here that the Zombie Museum is now located, where you can get acquainted with the full history of the living dead in popular culture. Here are props from movies and TV shows, full-length replicas of zombies, “reconstructions” of scenes of zombie attacks on people, etc. Of course, the museum also has a large gift shop.

5. Mythical Monster Museum (Waxahachee, Texas, USA)

But the creators of another (also American) museum decided not to “exchange” for expositions dedicated to individual mythical creatures, but gathered all the monsters under one roof.

If you want to see zombies, werewolves, vampires, orcs and many other monsters at once, then you have a direct road to Waxahachee, Texas.

And if the information about these monsters presented in the museum impresses you too much (or even scares you), then experienced experts (they are also guides, they are also “monster hunters”) Daniel Raptus and Miles Crane will tell you in great detail how to and it is most reliable to kill this or that dangerous monster.

4. International Cryptozoology Museum (Portland, USA)

Another “atypical” museum located in the United States is the Museum of Cryptozoology. Its founder Lauren Coleman dedicated his institution (as, in fact, it is clear from its name) to the most “elusive” creatures in the world.

Here you will find both the well-known bigfoot, Godzilla, gremlin, house elf, chupacabra, mermaid, giant squid, etc., as well as mythical creatures rarely mentioned in books and on television.

By the way, the museum also presents animals that once existed, but died out, which are allegedly met in some places to this day (pterodactyl, mammoth, saber-toothed tiger, etc.), as well as strange photos with muddy silhouettes of some incomprehensible (otherworldly) ?) creatures.

3. Vampire Museum (Le Musee de Vampires) (Paris, France)

Undoubtedly, vampires can be called the most popular immediately after zombies in modern mass culture. A huge number of books have also been written about them, more than one hundred films and series, television shows, etc. have been shot.

And, of course, these very charming (thanks to their “cine” image) monsters also could not be left without their own museum. A small private institution dedicated to vampires (and very reminiscent of its interiors and lighting of the crypt) is in Paris.

This old mansion can only be entered by appointment, but if you are a real fan of the vampire theme, then it’s worth it. Everything related to vampires, their “life” and habits is collected here – books, films, photos, paintings, accessories, etc. (and even mummified cats).

2. Museum of Witchcraft (Boscastle, Cornwall, England)

Well, someone, but witches are definitely worthy of a museum! After all, they believed in them long before any “moth people”, chupacabras and similar “snowmen” there.

And, by the way, they were also much more afraid of them, because it’s still not clear whether, for example, a werewolf really exists, and there is a witch in the city for sure, otherwise why is the neighbor’s child sick, the milk sours faster than usual, and the other day the hail beat the entire grape harvest?

It is said that in the XNUMXth century in England, the largest number of witches lived in Cornwall (and it was here that all the witches of Britain gathered for the Sabbath). Moreover, these were “white” witches, and people from all around came to them for magical help.

That is why the Witch Museum was opened in these very parts back in 1951, and since 1960 it has firmly settled in the village of Boscastle. According to the assurances of the curators of the Museum of Witchcraft, today the largest collection of witchcraft artifacts in the world is collected here.

1. Museum of Ghosts and Legends (Prague Ghosts and Legends Museum) (Prague, Czech Republic)

Prague is one of the most mystical cities in Europe: every cathedral, old mansion (why, almost any building over 150-200 years old!) here not only has some strange or terrible history, but also, quite often, boasts and my own ghost.

These are deceived girls, shedding their ghostly tears over an unfolding fate, and headless knights, and monks who have sinned in some way, and even Turks who traded in medieval Prague and committed some terrible misdeeds.

It is these numerous ghosts (and legends about them) that the creators of a very “atmospheric” Prague museum tried to put together. It is located in the basement of a building dating back to the XNUMXth century.

A lot of interactive elements (lights, sounds, strange shadows, etc.) create a truly mystical and eerie environment in the museum, and the stories that the guides will tell you will make you shudder nervously and experience a feeling of cold “goosebumps” running through your skin .