The Museum of Hangovers Celebrates Stories of Drunkery
Newly opened in Croatia, it is billed as an 'unforgettable place of forgettable happenings.'
A big fan of quirky museums, I am honestly not sure how to feel about news that there is now a museum dedicated to drinking too much alcohol and its after-effects. Newly opened in Zagreb, Croatia, and cutely billed as an “unforgettable place of forgettable happenings,” the Museum of Hangovers appears to be less scold than celebration.
Among the museum’s offerings (presented in both Croatian and English): an immersive exhibit in which participants don “drunk goggles” and walk a line or throw a dart (hit a bulls-eye; gain free admission, which normally costs $4.50 for adults, $3.75 for students); a spot for visitors to share their “funniest hangover/drunk stories … and items”; a re-creation of a dizzy walk home after a boozy night out; a drunk-driving car simulator (Ha-ha? Um …); and a space where visitors can play the game “Drinkopoly” and toss back Croatian “Rakija.” The museum is also hoping to send visitors home with its own branded “Hangover Wine,” available for purchase in its gift shop. (You can check it all out in the museum’s promotional video.)
Conceived on a lark by a group of students out drinking and swapping stories (at a venue next door to the museum’s eventual location, no less), the museum is currently also soliciting, on its website, stories from the public at large.
“Have you ever woken up completely hungover, and your friends had to refresh your memory of the previous night? Ever wished you could forget it again?,” it asks. “You're not the only one! We'd love it if you decided to share your story with us. It might even end up in the Museum of Hangovers collection! Completely anonymously, of course. Not everyone needs to know what you did last night! :)”
That smiley-face, all-in-fun attitude has – not surprisingly -- rubbed some people the wrong way.
“There should be a room on drunk driving, divorce, jail cells and the end of careers,” one commenter on the museum’s Facebook page dryly suggested.
The doubters’ message may have gotten through: "In the future, we want to make people aware of the bad things related to alcohol," museum founder Rino Dubokovic told CNN.
Sounds like a responsible plan – albeit, perhaps, a less fun one.
Photo: iStock
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