The Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments is Gruesomely Great

By Curtis M. Wong

Imagine the world without Amnesty International or other comparable human rights organizations—in short, no one to intervene for those who fell at the hands of justice. An act of gossip against a neighbor can literally cost you a tongue, and body piercings are feared more than fashionable. One-night stands become public knowledge, and the chastity belt is more than a euphemism.

}Such is the European history evoked at the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments. After the success of the backpacker’s bloodbath flick “Hostel and the hype surrounding its two upcoming sequels, torture is in vogue right now. Unfortunately, the exhibition becomes more grisly when you remind yourself that these are legitimate artifacts, not props from a Wes Craven flick—it’s not recommended for the squeamish. 

Located in a shopping arcade adjacent to the Charles Bridge, the museum is laid out on three floors. Visitors enter and ascend a tiny spiral staircase lined with engravings of corporal punishment through the centuries. The floors are carpeted in blood-red, and the exhibit’s relatively compact size heightens the sense of unease. You’ll feel a touch of claustrophobia as you hasten past the 60-plus exhibits.

Most of these detailed contraptions served a dual purpose: to punish as well as to publicly humiliate the convicted. Many devices on display were introduced in the 14th century and used throughout Europe until the 17th century; however, there have been a few recorded uses of some instruments in Latin American countries as recently as 1975.

Of course, the racks, shackles and guillotine are in plentiful supply. But the most intricate exhibit is the “Virgin of Nuremberg,” a coffin-like contraption fashioned to resemble a beautiful Bavarian girl. The interior, however, is lined with spikes for piercing the flesh of the convict. Each spike is positioned as to not rupture the victim’s vital organs, ensuring an agonizing death. Another bloody instrument is the “French handsaw,” used to penalize heretics and homosexuals. Convicts were held by their ankles to ensure consciousness as a carpenter’s saw was driven between their legs. Other cringe-worthy items include the “pear,” a fruit-shaped apparatus that was inserted into the convict’s mouth, vagina or anus and then enlarged, and the “Spanish tickler,” a garden rake-like tool meant for tearing flesh.

Some punishments were exclusively reserved for women. Even showing a little leg could get you into trouble—one display features “masks of shame,” dragon-shaped contraptions worn in public over the face, used to penalize women for dressing promiscuously. Unwed mothers and witches were subject to the “Spanish spider” or the “billy goat,” devices that damaged breasts and genitals. You were considered a lucky girl if you only had to wear a chastity belt, a metal device meant to preserve a wife’s faithfulness. In times of war, many women requested such belts to escape assaults from enemy soldiers.

Highlighting one of the darker sides of European heritage, the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments proves to be a gruesomely great, if not exactly pleasant, activity. Though not for the faint-of-heart, horror enthusiasts and those with even just a passing interest in the macabre will be gratified.

Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments
Křížovnické náměstí 194/1, Prague 1
Open daily from 10 to 22
General admission: 140 Kč; 100 Kč for students

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