Whether it is an English telephone box or a collection displayed in an elevator shaft, in several places in the world there are very small museums, whose location is as curious as the objects on display.
Warley Museum (Warley, UK)
After considering several options to establish this mini-museum, including a defibrillator station and a library, members of the local community voted to transform a telephone booth into a unique museum of local history.
In this mini-museum, the glass panels are embellished with engravings depicting scenes from local history, while the mosaic floor is made from old ceramics and artefacts found in the gardens of Warley.
The exhibits, which change every few months, are artifacts and local historical curiosities, donated by Warley residents. They are exhibited in secure boxes that can be viewed both inside and outside the museum.
Mmuseumm (New York, US)
Mmuseumm is a tiny museum housed in a freight elevator in New York, specializing in exhibiting objects framed in "that which is overlooked, rejected or ignored".
Museumm offers a unique opportunity to interact with everyday, familiar, but also exotic objects from around the world. Among the unusual objects presented here were the shoe thrown to George W. Bush at the Minister's Palace in Baghdad, a hot water heating coil from Lithuania or a plastic glove from Paradise Valley, Montana.
The capacity of the museum allows three people to enter at the same time.
William Burke Museum (Edinburgh, UK)
Along one of the most picturesque streets in the West Bow - Edinburgh area there is a storefront that boasts the smallest museum in the world. Those who enter The Cadies & Witchery Tours store have the opportunity to see on its counter, placed in a glass box, an artifact that gives shivers. Inside the container, resting on a velvet cushion, is a small object dressed in leather. This is a business card holder made from human skin that belonged to Edinburgh serial killer William Burke.
Considering the very strict legislation from the beginning of the 19th century regarding anatomical dissections on human bodies, it was quite difficult for those who performed such operations to obtain corpses. Burke and his accomplice - William Hare executed unknown people, in order to later sell their bodies for scientific purposes. 16 people died because of the two, and to save himself, Hare testified against Burke, while the latter was hanged in January 1829.
After Burke's death, the skin from various parts of his body was taken by the locals. A section of the back of his hand was used to make this business card holder, in the possession of a surgeon who worked with Burke during his criminal career.
Faraday Effect (London, UK)
As we already know, Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetism, which led to mankind obtaining electricity. This tiny museum – essentially a shed – sits on an unassuming dock in London, next to where Faraday worked for more than 30 years. Conceived by two artists, the museum is a "recreation" of Faraday's workshop, decorated with historical documents, technical drawings, fishing objects, sound recordings or explanatory notes. Although small and located in a busy part of the city, the space is surprisingly quiet inside, just good for a few moments of relaxation.
Ethnographic Museum (North Macedonia)
The Ethnographic Museum of North Macedonia is so small that only one person can enter and visit it. There are over a thousand exhibits here, most of which are Macedonian objects from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. However, you will also be able to admire ceramic objects and remains that are more than 5,000 years old.