Fairy Tale Museum

In Nicosia, Cyprus, there’s a museum that brings a touch of whimsical delight to a street just outside the city’s grim demilitarized zone.

Opened in February 2017, the Fairy Tale Museum is the perfect place to explore the magical world of fairy tales. Located in a renovated Grade II listed building, the museum aims to preserve and promote fairy stories, legends, myths, and traditions from Cyprus, Greece, and other places around the world.

As soon as you walk into the oversized library, you can immediately begin to explore fairy tales via the museum’s interactive exhibits, rare books, and artwork. Those looking to test their own imaginative powers can create and perform the stories in the dress-up room.

Hidden doors throughout the museum lead to secret rooms that highlight objects from some of the most treasured tales—Aladdin, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Cinderella—while age-specific texts delight children and adults alike.

People are encouraged to open drawers, turn gears, and tinker with other gadgets to bring the information to life. The “magic library” has books stretching over nine feet high, all dedicated to fairy tale writers and folk researchers.

The location of this fantasy-filled museum appears to be of no coincidence. It’s situated right near the United Nations Buffer Zone, which highlights a divide that could do with its own fairy tale ending.