Religious and Pilgrimage Destinations
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Europe is home to a fascinating array of museums, devoted to every subject imaginable. From Vikings in the north, broken relationships in Croatia to vampires in Brasov. Here is the lowdown on Europes original and unusual museums.
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© VanderWolf Images
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Titanic Museum, Belfast
Opened in March 2012 the Titanic Museum dominates the Belfast skyline with its striking, modern architecture. Built where the ship was launched 100 years previously, the museum offers a fascinating, interactive experience covering the ship’s construction, its sole voyage, and the underwater exploration that continues today.
© Matyas Rehak
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Stasimuseum, Berlin
The Stasi musuem is dedicated to the history of the former East German security services and is located in their old headquarters in Berlin. If the low tech listening devices on show are almost comical, hidden in everything from cat flaps to plant pots, the personal stories of those harrased by the service are not. The museum is revealing for anyone wanting to understand life in Europe before the fall of the Iron Curtain.
© Anilah
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Estonian Open Air Museum, Tallinn
Located in beautiful park lands just outside Tallinn city centre, the Estonian Open Air Museum is a life size reconstruction of an 18th century rural village. With 72 separate buildings, the museum provides a fascinating insight into how life in rural Europe used to be.
© Gary Yim
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Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb
Located in the capital of Croatia, the Museum of Broken Relationships was created by two Croatian artists, Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić, after they broke up. Originally displaying instruments from their and their friends’ failed relationships, the museum has grown rapidly with donations from people from throughout Europe and the world.
© Emily Marie Wilson
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Bran Catle, Brasov
Bran Castle is commonly referred to as ‘Dracula’s Castle,’ and, although the exact links with Bram Stoker’s character are not clear, it has become a site of pilgrimage for anyone interested in vampires. For everyone else, the building is a true fairytale castle and holds various exhibitions of Romanian art and furniture collected by Queen Marie.
© Santi Rodriguez
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Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao features large-scale contemporary art works as well as a collection of 20th Century pieces.However, the museum is most famous for its incredible building,which is regularly listed as one of the most important examples of modern architecture in the world.
© Kiev Victor
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The Musical Instrument Museum, Brussels
Located in a magnificent art nouveau building in the centre of Brussels, The Musical Instrument Museum houses a large number of European and non-European instruments. The experience is not just a visual one as visitors are given infrared headphones in order to listen to musical extracts played on most of the instruments displayed.
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