Kyiv Museums: Toilet History Museum
One of the first and largest museums devoted to the most important piece of plumbing in anyone's life, the toilet. It began by chance: in 1995 friends of Mykola Bohdanenko jokingly gave him a souvenir toilet when he opened his plumbing shop. Nobody expected that one toilet would spark such an interest, and by November 2010 his collection had entered the National Register of Records of Ukraine as the largest in Europe.
This is one of the first and largest museums devoted to an object of plumbing that matters in everyone's life: the toilet. The museum came about by chance thanks to Mykola Bohdanenko. In 1995, when he opened his plumbing shop, his friends jokingly gave him a souvenir toilet. Nobody could have guessed that one toilet would spark such an interest in this everyday necessity. It took hold of Bohdanenko so completely that 15 years later, in November 2010, his collection was entered in the National Register of Records of Ukraine as the largest in Europe.
The Toilet History Museum itself opened much earlier, on 5 September 2006. According to the founder, he was surprised to find how little had been written about the toilet in the history of human culture, even though it is one of the main symbols of modern hygiene. People, he felt, had a right to know the story of how this "porcelain friend" was invented and developed.
Visitors can see not only the "main exhibit" but also all kinds of toilet-related objects: lighters, money boxes, smoking pipes and pendants, all of them, naturally, shaped like a toilet. There is also the latest wonder of technology in this field, a new-generation Japanese "talking" toilet.
The museum also holds temporary exhibitions. One of them, "Hygiene Items That Changed the World", opened on the museum's birthday, 5 September, and told the story of things people can no longer imagine life without: soap, toilet paper and toothpaste. Who invented them? If you are curious, it is a good chance to learn more.
The Toilet History Museum is certainly an unusual place, but once you are there you will not be bored. It will appeal first of all to those who have already seen Kyiv's historic sights and are looking for something different. The collection shows a less familiar side of the development of human culture and civilisation.
Where: 22 Rybalska St, Kyiv, "Bashta No. 5" business centre, entrance through doorway No. 2.
Opening hours: daily, 10:00–18:00.
Tour bookings: +380 44 499 3161, +380 44 280 4027.
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