Icelandic Phallological Museum
One exhibit needs a magnifying glass; another once measured 170 cm. Both are real.
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Over 300 specimens from more than 100 mammal species, from the front tip of a sperm whale penis to a 2 mm hamster baculum, plus 22 pieces representing Icelandic folklore creatures (elves and trolls — invisible by nature, hence also invisible here). Founded in 1997 by a retired history teacher whose interest began when he was given a cattle whip made from a bull's penis, it draws 70,000 visitors a year on a stated mission of serious phallological science.
What to look for
- The hamster baculum: at 2 mm, it can only be seen with a magnifying glass.
- The first human specimen: a greyish-brown shriveled mass in a jar of formalin — the museum notes its detachment did not go according to plan.
- Lampshades made from bull scrotums, part of the phallic art and crafts section.
Reykjavík; 70,000+ visitors annually means peak tourist hours get crowded — weekday mornings are your best bet.
Icelandic Phallological Museum is one of 17 sights worth the detour in Reykjavik, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Reykjavik pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Reykjavik
- HallgrímskirkjaA 74-metre church modeled on Iceland's volcanic basalt columns — 41 years in the making, visible from nearly anywhere in the city.
- LaugardalsvöllurThe city that dreamed of a sporting venue in 1871 — when Reykjavík held just 2,000 people — finally opened a football stadium here in 1959.
- National Museum of IcelandA carved wooden door where a knight slays a dragon and gains a lion as his companion — and that is the headline object.
- Bessastaðir — Presidential ResidenceSnorri Sturluson farmed here in the 1200s. Turkish slave raiders attacked in 1627. Today the president of Iceland calls it home.
- Imagine Peace TowerA column of light rises 4,000 metres into the Arctic sky from a wishing well on a small island — Yoko Ono's memorial to John Lennon, running on geothermal power.
- HöfðiReagan and Gorbachev met here in 1986 in talks that technically failed yet cracked open the path to the Cold War's end.