Icelandic Phallological Museum
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavík houses the world’s largest collection of penises and penile parts, featuring specimens from over 100 mammal species, including humans.
Planning your visit
The Icelandic Phallological Museum is exactly what it says, and it is more serious than the joke suggests. Sigurður Hjartarson began collecting in 1974 after being given a bull's pizzle as a whip, and built the holding into specimens from over 100 mammal species — every land and sea mammal found in Iceland, from mice to sperm whales, preserved in formalin or dried, with the whale specimens dominating the room by sheer scale.
The framing is zoological, with comparative anatomy and species information, alongside a section on folklore and Icelandic mythology involving trolls and elves. A human specimen was finally added in 2011 after decades of pledges from prospective donors, which the museum documents including the correspondence.
The tone is deadpan rather than salacious, which is what makes it work. Visitors arrive expecting a novelty and generally leave having learned something about mammalian anatomy.
It sits centrally in Reykjavik with a bistro attached. Allow forty-five minutes. The main booking is an entry ticket. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Icelandic Phallological Museum?
Icelandic Phallological Museum is in Reykjavík, Iceland. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Icelandic Phallological Museum?
Allow forty-five minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Icelandic Phallological Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
