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When you are on a romantic weekend with your spouse, visiting a Torture Museum is not what one normally thinks of…unless maybe you are Christian Grey.
So maybe those with certain fetishes might enjoy this kind of setting or if you are upset with your spouse and searching for ways to make him suffer for not mowing the lawn, it might be of interest.
Seriously though, crazy experiences shared together are what you look back on and laugh at later!
As my husband and I were investigating the streets of Bruges, we happened upon this museum. Though it wasn’t high on my list of things to see, we ultimately decided that it might be thought-provoking.
The Torture Museum, located in a former fortress designed to protect Bruges, later became one of the oldest historical European prisons. During the 14th century, it became known as the “Old Stone” or “Oude Steen”.
The museum is a chronological maze of more than 100 torture devices, often displayed with realistic wax figures. As we made our way from the opening act, Vlad the Impaler, with a head firmly planted on the top of a spear, to various contraptions such as the Rack, the Cat’s Paw and the Drunkard’s Cloak, it was obvious that committing crimes, even petty ones, during medieval times, was something to ponder seriously as the punishments were so severe. These instruments were engineered to cause unbelievable humiliation, pain and suffering on the human body and mind.
Many of these devices we recognized from books and television shows but some were new. The method of peine forte et dure (hard and forceful punishment) was a form of torture which inflicted punishment on those accused of a felony, but who would neither plead guilty or not guilty. The accused was placed under a board upon which heavier and heavier stones were arranged until either a plea was entered or the defendant died from suffocation.
The Heretic’s Fork was an abominable tool resembling a two-way steel fork with sharp spikes that was attached by a leather belt to the victim’s neck. It was often used for charges of heresy and witchcraft. Just thinking about moving your chin…ouch!
Another that I though quite interesting, and not so gruesome, was the Straw Plait. A heavy plait of hair, that was braided from straw, was woven into the hair of a woman for offences that referred to feminine dignity, such as low necklines or seductive gaits. Though not a severe punishment, it is imaginable that this heavy addition to the head would prove to be cumbersome.
The Violin Gossip gave me a good laugh as I imagined two quarreling women secured into this contraption, facing each other and unable to escape each’s presence. This was an instrument used often to punish gossipers and to settle quarrels.
And of course, there was the guillotine, ever ready with a woven basket awaiting a bloody addition and a variety of other tools and executioner’s outfits. The most horrific, in my opinion, was Rat Torture. Though I have seen this depicted in horror and gangster movies, to see a wax figure in a former dungeon portraying this form of torture is disturbing to say the least. For those who do not know what this cheap and effective torment entails, let me describe it for you. Imagine the victim completely restrained and tied to the ground or another surface. A rat is then placed on their stomach and covered by a metallic container. As the container is heated, the rat then begins to look for a way out. Since the container is too hard to dig through…well…
Wandering through this former prison, though gruesome at times, was a dark journey through time when torture was a widespread form of punishment. One of the most intriguing museums that we have ever visited, we learned a great deal about the discipline and persecution experienced from the 13th to 18th centuries.
And no, there wasn’t anything that I thought would be suitable to use as punishment for my husband making me angry!
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Torture Museum Bruges “Oude Steen”
- http://torturemuseum.be/
- Address: Wollestraat 29, 8000 Brugge, Belgium
- Hours: 1030-1800, daily. Open until 2100 during July and August
- Admission: Adults, €8, Students, €6, Seniors (aged 60+), €7, Groups, €6