Is there anything stranger than human curiosity? The desire to discover and learn can drive us to build some of the weirdest and most wonderful collections of… well, anything. So, to fulfil your own appetite for adventure, here's a list of the world's strangest museums.

No, this isn't actually a small square in the backstreets of 1950s Tokyo, it's the Shin-Yokohama Rāmen Museum! With a rather liberal interpretation of 'museum', the building is home to several branches of famous ramen restaurants from Kyushu to Hokkaido.

Where else, but Minnesota? It turns out the title of 'World's Largest Twine Ball' is a touchy subject. But Darwin, Minnesota, is the site of the The World's Largest Twine Ball Museum, featuring… the world's largest twine ball made by a single person.

Some stories end in happiness, others end at the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia. This unique collection draws together the objects left behind when the romance ends: pairs of shoes, unopened bottles of wine, even lint from an ex-boyfriend's belly button.

We can only hope that your underwear doesn't end up here…

Click and drag to explore.

Satisfy your morbid curiosity here in Amsterdam. For most of history, people have beheaded and bludgeoned each other in the name of justice. Trivial crimes from witchcraft to regicide were met with brutal, bodily punishment. And here you can experience it all!

Welcome to the International Clown Hall of Fame & Research Centre in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It might not look it, but it's a serious organisation, and home to all sorts of clowning memorabilia. So stop clowning around.

Scully, did you ever hear the one about the International UFO Museum in Roswell, New Mexico? The museum focuses on the famous 1947 close encounter in the nearby desert, but also features an extensive library and exhibits all focused on the history of UFO encounters.

Take me to your curator...

Over on the east coast, the cryptozoology museum in Portland, Maine collects rare, one-of-a-kind zoological specimens as well as reports of cryptid sightings and folk stories of strange creatures.

In Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers holds more than 20,000 examples of these essential items of tableware. The collection was started in 1985 by archaeologist Andrea Ludden, as a record of the wealth of creativity to be found in these simple objects.

At Leeds Castle near Maidstone, Kent, there's an utterly singular museum dedicated to dog collars. The collection was originally donated in 1977 by Mr John & Mrs Gertrude Hunt, since then, more examples, dating from the 16th-19th century, have been collared by the museum.

What is it about the English that encourages them to become such avid, eccentric collectors? In Southport, in the back of a DIY shop, you can visit the nation's foremost museum of gardening equipment.

It is said that ‘every painter paints himself’. In most cases, this comes in the form of a standard self portrait, such as this iconic image of Van Gogh (who liked to paint himself more than most). For others, it wasn’t quite so easy, fashionable, or desirable to create a self portrait. But that didn’t always stop them.

Some artists hide a self portrait in paintings focused around other themes. Artists sneaking in their own image in a crowd scene, in the background, or even hidden in other details is more common than you might think.

Below we have four examples of paintings where artists have hidden themselves. Take a close look at these pictures and see if you can spot them.

Clara Peeters was among the most talented still-life artists of her day. At first glance, this 1615 picture has no visible human figures. A humble display of dairy products with bread, it seems to be nothing more than a classic Dutch still life painting from the era. But can you spot the artist?

Look closely in the reflection of the ceramic goblet's pewter lid and you can see a small self-portrait, distorted by the curve.

The artist also ‘carved’ her name into the butter knife instead of signing the painting.

Napoleon commissioned David to paint his 1804 coronation in a huge work that sent a strong political message. Today, the artwork hangs in the Louvre's Great Hall. It's so big the people appear life-size. But can you spot the artist in the crowd?

He sits in the theater box in the back center of the composition, sketching the scene in his notebook (a big clue as to his identity). David was present at the actual coronation and his inclusion in the final version shows his allegiance to the crown.

Painted between 1536 and 1541, the Renaissance master was able to express his frustration while painting The Last Judgment fresco. Apparently, he loathed the commission to paint the Sistine Chapel and used this opportunity to have a little dig at his patron, the Pope. But can you see him in this faithful sketch by Michelangelo's contemporary, Giulio Bonasone?

In the center of the painting, Michelangelo's eyeless face and an empty suit of flagellated skin hang from Saint Bartholomew's hand. The figure is supposed to be waiting to discover if he is off to heaven or hell after a gruelling trial of faith, a reflection of the artist's own feelings about the commission.

Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi, painted circa 1475, depicts the three wise men visiting the baby Jesus. It was common in Renaissance Italy to portray members of important Florentine families as the magi. In this instance it is members of the wealthy Medici family. But the artist also managed to sneak himself into the scene. Can you spot him?

Standing at the far right in a brown robe, Botticelli has painted himself as one of only two figures in the painting looking directly at the viewer. 

In many Mesoamerican sites you can find ballcourts and Chichén Itzá is no exception. This site has several ballgame courts.

This ballcourt is not only the most important in the city, but also the biggest one in Mesoamerica, measuring 120 m x 30 m.

It has been created in the shape of the letter 'I', with a temple on the north side and another temple on the south side.

The stone rings, where a rubber ball would have gone through during a game, were decorated with intertwined feathered serpents.

The ballgame played here was quite different to those we are familiar with today – hands and feet could not touch the ball, so the ball was played back and forth between the teams with their hips, and maybe even their knees and elbows.