Alert the masses: I’m calling bullshit on Lithuania Radio and Television (LRT—appears to be the Lithuanian equivalent of NPR).
Their headline today: “Trakai Castle in Lithuania to install medieval toilets”
The accompanying article, excerpted:
“‘The third floor [of the castle’s western side] is unused because it is not suitable for visitors – there are no proper communications, no electrical wiring, no heating, and the roof is not insulated, all of which will be resolved during the renovation,’ said Alvyga Zmejevskienė, the museum’s director.
…
The new exhibition will reopen the medieval latrines, which are currently inaccessible to visitors and are located in the unused attics.
‘Visitors are often interested in the sanitary-hygienic side of castles, and there are latrines on that side that have not been exhibited until now,’ said Zmejevskienė. ‘We are going to arrange everything in such a way that people can come and see it, hear the guides’ stories about how the castle dwellers lived at that time: they not only ate and slept but also met other needs – people are interested in such things.’”
That’s not installing medieval toilets. That’s just figuring out how to show people the ones you’ve got. Enough of the misleading messaging.
Two more thoughts on this:
First, I wonder if this is just a translation thing. If it is, call off the beef.
Second, I don’t think I personally spend enough time pondering how uncomfortable it used to be to go to the bathroom. Today, going to the bathroom is very comfortable in our part of the world. Even public bathrooms: Compared to what our people used to go through? I can deal with a gas station now and then.
Oh also for those wondering the castle is on an island in a lake outside Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital. It’s ranked the ninth-best thing to do in Lithuania, on TripAdvisor, which puts it in league with the Wynwood Walls in the United States (that list is a bit jarring) and the Boot Hill Museum in Kansas, the state with the population closest to that of Lithuania (the museum is in Dodge City, and after reading about it, I kind of want to go—have been to lots of Kansas, but never Dodge City, and I fear I’m missing out). So, that’s where TripAdvisor says you should prioritize visiting this castle, but that is without the medieval toilets. Possible it’ll go up once those are open. Or down. If there’s, like, medieval toilet paper in there or something.
