Nonseum - the nonsense museum

Just inside the border between Austria and eastern Czechi is the small village of Herrnbaumgarten.

To mix things up even more, there is a place in the town where the name on the pink wall says it all: the crazy village.

Here you will find Nonseum, its name a clue to the fact it is, quite simply, a nonsense museum.

This museum was opened in 1994 by a group calling themselves Verein zur Verwertung von Gedankenüberschüssen which roughly translates as Association for the Recycling of Surplus Thoughts.

Here you will find inventions for assisting (or not) all range of human activities. Some of them play with the idea of the names of real things - like eye glasses that turn out to be just that: small glasses with eyeballs in them. While many exhibits have a helpful English explanation on the name-card, some simply say 'untranslatable pun' meaning you need to be Austrian to get it.

For spoof inventions, many of the exhibits are surprisingly well-crafted and professionally made, and they are arranged so you can see them from all angles. The exhibits are in two spacious buildings with some outside in the garden between the two. It is easy to spend several hours here, although it can be a brain-blowing experience. Best to take a break outside midway, and have a drink from the wine bar across the courtyard. One free drink is part of your entrance fee.

(Tagged as an 'efficient chair' to discourage fast food customers from sitting too long)

Just in case you are still a little confused: The ARST (or VVG) have a stated 'devotion to immature, underrated, and bizarre thoughts' and Nonseum shows visitors just how valid this can be.

Whether you get the joke on so many of the items or not, this is one place not to miss when visiting Austria.

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