This place was SO INTERESTING. This museum center on a religious cult from the early 1900's. At times it's fascinating and at others it's depressing. The grounds are gorgeous and the museum is really well-rounded. Not only does it tell of the Panacea group, but it also details a history of cults very similar to it at the same time in other countries (namely a group in the US).
On the surface, they seemed to be just a crazy group of people but the museum currently has an exhibit focused on the servants. They treated them terribly. It was great to see this highlighted instead of just portraying them as kindly old people. They weren't, but they were also extremely ignorant of the reality most of us lived in.
It's a testament to how these specific women survived the world once they were widowed post-WWI and how they found community to live out the rest of their days. These (mostly) women were passionate and genuine in their faith and beliefs.
It's also a timely reminder of how easy it is to get sucked into a cult or conspiracy theory and how a group may or may not harm the members but can have affects that ricochet across generations (such as with Dilys, daughter of the leader).
If you're ever in the area, please look it up. It's absolutely amazing. read more