There are many fascinating museums in this world, but one that is near the top of my list to visit is the Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum (Medieval Crime Museum) in Rothenburg, Germany. The Kriminalmuseum is dedicated to the history of European law over the past ten centuries or so, with a special emphasis on medieval punishments. This means they have case after case of actual medieval instruments of torture and tools of execution. I can only imagine the energies these objects hold; the intense pain, suffering and shame felt by each victim imbued into the aura of the object. This is exactly the kind of place that would raise my hairs, bump my flesh and shorten my breath, but it would also appeal to my morbid fascination with human cruelty. The Kriminalmuseum also follows the course of the law through ancient documents and books signed by emperors and kings, the letters of law that led to the system we have today. But to keep it real, I’m more interested in the shame masks, the torture chairs, the fingerscrews and the executioner’s axes. Check out some photos of this awesome museum, and see the creepy, bloodstained things it houses…
Photos via Wiki Commons and Torsten Maue
