as a kid, there was this giant, ancient victorian house down by the river. it clearly had been owned by a science loving family as it had been turned into a museum of sorts. every wall, every nook and cranny was filled with some kind of dead animal or artifact. bug collections, arrays of archeological tidbits. you could spend a whole day in there, but was clearly amateurish at best.
the house is still there, but next to it… is a (comparatively) giant fucking museum. someone took the ball and ran with it moving many of the exhibits… it was expanded, and turned into something professional that now even has a full t-rex.
… but i miss that old victorian version. there was something magical about it. dank, dark and stale-aired… never knowing whats around the corner or down that tiny winding staircase you swore wasnt there a minute ago.
you will never get that experience in todays museums.
One that kind of comes close is the Bologna Natural History Museum. It’s dark (literally and in terms of the colonial history involved), but fascinating
If you are ever in the area and have an hour or two to burn, go to this place. It’s simply odd.
I adore it. It is a work of art: both a satire and love letter to museums, and a modern-day cabinet of curiosities
