Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
The Cathedral Café maintains the building’s original church exterior.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Most of what’s on the menu here comes from Michigan.
The Glenwood
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Siegfried Tieber specializes in sleight-of-hand magic using small objects, as well as mentalism, which gives the illusion of reading minds.
Does a Magician Really Never Reveal Their Tricks? AO Wants to Know.
11 days ago
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
13 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
17 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
24 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Russia Saint Petersburg Museum of Hygiene

Museum of Hygiene

This Russian museum stresses the importance of keeping clean and even holds one of Pavlov's dogs.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Museum of Hygiene   Museum of Hygiene
Museum of Hygiene   Museum of Hygiene
One of pavlov dog   Rklawton
Museum of Hygiene   Museum of Hygiene
Museum of Hygiene   Museum of Hygiene
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Established under Soviet rule, the Museum of Hygiene (formerly the Museum of Good Health), is dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of germs, disease, and other side-effects of filth, as well as, strangely, one of Pavlov's dogs.

As the original museum was established in 1919 as a public health service, the current museum bears all the hallmarks of the gruesome medical practices and fears of the early 20th century. Among the glass cases full of skulls and bits of wax anatomy, there are movable glass models of a man and woman complete with a variety of internal organs for the viewing as well as some reportedly grim displays regarding the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Many of the displays regard "bad habits" and their consequences, but then oddly, the museum presents visitors with one of Pavlov's original dogs, stuffed and displayed in a glass case trussed up by each leg just as in Pavlov's original experiments. This scientific celebrity is presented seemingly without context.

St. Petersburg is a city rich in history, containing no shortage of museums, but the Museum of Hygiene may be the only one that offers the opportunity to view a world famous dog in the same trip as cautionary genital displays.  

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Museums Taxidermy Anatomy Museums Heroes Of Taxidermy

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Published

August 11, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.semesteratsea.org/field-labs/field-lab-for-travel-writing-sloane/
  • http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298507-d567039-Reviews-Museum_of_Hygiene_Muzei_Gigieny-St_Petersburg_Northwestern_District.html
  • http://www.saint-petersburg.com/museums/museum-hygiene/
Museum of Hygiene
25, Italianskaya Ulitsa
Saint Petersburg, 191023
Russia
59.935719, 30.337228
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Russkiy Levsha (The Russian Lefty Museum)

Saint Petersburg, Russia

miles away

The Wax Museum

Saint Petersburg, Russia

miles away

Chizhik Pyzhik

Saint Petersburg, Russia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Russia

Places 23
Stories 4

Nearby Places

Russkiy Levsha (The Russian Lefty Museum)

Saint Petersburg, Russia

miles away

The Wax Museum

Saint Petersburg, Russia

miles away

Chizhik Pyzhik

Saint Petersburg, Russia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Russia

Places 23
Stories 4

Related Places

  • The Skin of Little Sorrel

    Lexington, Virginia

    The Skin of Little Sorrel

    The hide of Stonewall Jackson's equine sidekick is on display not far from where the ashes of his bones are buried.

  • Riga, Latvia

    P. Stradins Museum for History of Medicine

    Medical museum that houses most notably the taxidermied remains of Vladimir Demikhov's famous two-headed dog experiment.

  • A Nicobar Tree Shrew in the Grant Museum of Zoology

    London, England

    Grant Museum of Zoology

    The only university zoological museum in London houses extinct animals, bizarre natural history specimens, and a Micrarium of microscopic creatures.

  • Museum für Naturkunde

    Berlin, Germany

    Museum für Naturkunde

    Berlin's natural history museum houses the world's largest mounted dinosaur and the late beloved polar bear Knut.

  • Athena in her display at the Florence Nightingale Museum

    London, England

    Athena the Owl

    The Florence Nightingale Museum is home to the famous nurse's most treasured possession: her beloved pet owl.

  • New Orleans, Louisiana

    The Great American Alligator Museum

    Come for the 14-foot-long taxidermy alligator. Stay for the mini costumed gators shooting pool.

  • The collection includes eight intact human skeletons.

    Brooklyn, New York

    The Bone Museum

    This museum dedicated to the history of the medical bone trade and human osteology.

  • Duncan, British Columbia

    Hand of Man Museum

    A former elementary school houses one man's extensive collection of art, artifacts, and taxidermy.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.