This Belongs in a Museum

Thanks to aunty-fascist for reminding me that I’ve never covered Amsterdam’s Sex Museum (this post from August 2010 doesn’t really count). There is more to this place than a gigantic, seven foot tall fiberglass penis. The “Venustempel” is actually the world’s oldest sex museum. It all began in 1985 with a small display of 19th century erotic objects and grew into one of Amsterdam’s most popular museums with half a million visitors annually. I was tempted to write anally in that last sentence, which is ridiculous, because I hate puns. Only €4 for a guaranteed good time. Each room in the museum has a different name – Mata Hari, Marquis de Sade, Rudolf Valentino, Oscar Wilde, Marquise de Pompadour and so on. I think you get the picture. If you’re not distracted by female screams of joy coming (I’m not going there) from the ceiling speakers and the erotic drawings on the Delft blue floor tiles, then you’ll see an extensive collection of statues, paintings, photos, videos, and other sex-related objects. The ancient phallic objects are good for a laugh, but maybe the fetish and BDSM play room isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Hey, you’re in Amsterdam so live a little. And how can you hate a place that has toilets that look like this? You just can’t.

Did you know there are at least twenty-five sex museums in the world? It sounds like I have a lot of work to do. If I can find a few more sexy places, February sounds like the perfect month for such a project. Stay tuned.

(Image Source 1, 2, 3, 4)