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Other Haunts

Other Haunts: A Devil Museum in Lithuania

…Ironic to think that, say, a nutcracker shaped like a kitschy/folk-arty demon could land you in the gulag which was one of humanity’s better attempts to recreate hell on earth…

DevilStatue  With its finger firmly monitoring the pulse of weirdness, The Fortean Times has a great profile of a Lithuanian museum devoted entirely to depictions of devils.  Like many great collections and for that matter, many other eccentric achievments, the Devil Museum started as the obsession of a single collector.  There are devils from around the world, mostly depicted on their own but frequently the depictions are incorporated into useful objects.

     So ya don’t believe in devils?  The collection is interesting even to a staunch materialist because of its political dimension. During  Soviet times, this collection was illegal because it fell afoul of the prohibition of religion and religious artifacts.  Ironic to think that, say, a nutcracker shaped like a kitschy/folk-arty demon could land you in the gulag which was one of humanity’s better attempts to recreate hell on earth.

Lithuanian Devil Museum