Skip to main content

Eurasianet

Main Menu

  • Regions
  • Topics
  • Media
  • About
  • Search
  • Newsletter
  • русский
  • Support us
X

Caucasus

Armenia
Azerbaijan
Georgia

Central Asia

Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

Conflict Zones

Abkhazia
Nagorno Karabakh
South Ossetia
Transnistria

Eastern Europe

Belarus
Moldova
Russia
The Baltics
Ukraine

Eurasian Fringe

Afghanistan
China
EU
Iran
Mongolia
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
X

Arts and Culture

Economy

Politics

Kazakhstan 2022 unrest
Kyrgyzstan 2020 unrest

Security

Society

American diplomats in Central Asia
Coronavirus
X

Visual Stories

Audio
Video

Blogs

Tamada Tales
The Bug Pit

Podcasts

Expert Opinions
The Central Asianist
X
You can search using keywords to narrow down the list.
Eastern Europe, Ukraine

Tamada Travels: Ukraine’s Toilet History Museum

“Pecunia non olet (“Money does not smell”),” staff tells you at a museum dedicated to the history of toilets in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Giorgi Lomsadze, Nikoloz Bezhanishvili Jul 3, 2015
image Ukraine's toilet museum.

At first, it might appear a political statement:

“Pecunia non olet (“Money does not smell”),” staff tells you at a museum dedicated to the history of toilets in Kyiv, Ukraine.

But the motto, which Roman Emperor Vespasian supposedly said after imposing a tax on public urinals, is only another part of the toilet trivia and bathroom paraphernalia on display at this unusual exhibit.

Launched by a Ukrainian couple with a passion for the topic, the Toilet History Museum is tucked inside the 19th-century Kyiv Fortress, a set of fortifications better known for past executions than for details about past potty practices.

But whether it’s the Egyptian liking for limestone toilet seats or the Roman liking for socializing while sitting on the can, toilets can have a lot to tell.

In this report, Museum Director Nelya Voronava takes Tamada Travels down toilet-memory lane.

Giorgi Lomsadze is a freelance journalist based in Tbilisi, and author of the Tamada Tales blog. Nikoloz Bezhanishvili is a freelance filmmaker based in Tbilisi.

Giorgi Lomsadze is a journalist based in Tbilisi, and author of Tamada Tales.

Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.

Related

Kyrgyzstan: Man sought for serving with Ukrainian army highlights Bishkek’s awkward position on war
Georgia faces dwindling wheat stocks as world shortage looms
Georgia: What to do with Misha?

Popular

Tajikistan: Local residents say Pamiri leader killed by government troops
Kyrgyzstan: Man sought for serving with Ukrainian army highlights Bishkek’s awkward position on war
Nurbek Bekmurzaev
Afghanistan: The Taliban’s first fall and an opening for Tajik journalists
Text by a Tajik journalist, Photos by Parviz Amirjonov

Eurasianet

  • About
  • Team
  • Contribute
  • Republishing
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact
Eurasianet © 2022