History

• A popular mechanism of torture used to pierce the genital area
  
  The conversion of dungeons and prisons into museums of torture did not occur until the 20th century and gradually spread to other forms of novelty-type exhibitions. Museums of criminology have sprung up in conjunction with the theme of torture. In San Gimingano, Italy, the Museum of Medieval Criminology opened in 1992. Some of the more crass torture devices on display at this museum include "The Virgin of Nuremburg," a tomblike structure molded into the figure of the Virgin Mary that contains strategically placed spikes capable of piercing parts of the body unessential for survival, while still inducing physical agony, until the victim inevitably confesses to or repents for his crime.
  
  

Time Frame

• One of Amsterdam's museums of torture
  
  Most tolerated and lauded acts of torture transpired during the Inquisition, a movement that was brought upon Europeans by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. Beginning in the 12th century, the Catholic Church wanted to expunge all acts and persons deemed heretical. This provided the church with a prime opportunity to devise its tactics for torturing people into either repenting their decision to stray from the church or ultimately dying during torture.
  Historically, there are four inquisitions that occurred in rapid succession. The first inquisition is referred to as the Medieval Inquisition, followed by the Spanish Inquisition, the Portuguese Inquisition and the Roman Inquisition. Although variant by virtue of geography, each inquisition sought the same objectives: the expulsion of any disparate form of religious worship, including witchcraft. The Spanish Inquisition, however, is particularly illustrious for its cruel torture methods and mercilessness.
  
  

Function

• San Gimignano Museum of Torture in Italy
  
  The torture museum may seem somewhat unrefined in terms of what it says about the average person's lust for displays of debasement, but it has become increasingly pertinent in reminding cultures how far they have come and, at the same time, gently suggests that we are not as far removed from those times as we would like to believe.
  The idea of the torture museum may have initially been viewed as inane and uncouth, but its role in amusing and educating tourists and locals alike has become indubitable.
  Without museums of this sort, it would be as though our history had been whitewashed to exclude the glaring mistakes that were made as a result of intolerance. Without being able to look at these mistakes in that fluorescent museum light, it would be impossible to learn from them and move toward developing into a more broad-minded society.
  
  

Types

• This museum of medieval torture instruments is one of many in the Czech Republic
  
  Types of torture museums are rather unvaried and can be broken up in the following ways: time period, country of origin, and crime perpetrated. Most torture museums in Europe emphasize the 15th century, a notable epoch for witch hunts and the severe inquisitions that pervaded Spain under the rule of Ferdinand and Isabella, a trend of religious tyranny that bled into other neighboring countries like France, Germany and Portugal.
  Victims of the Inquisition were subjected to waterboarding, wherein inquisitors would wrap the so-called heretic's face with a cloth, strap their bodies face up onto a board, and then proceed to douse the victim's covered head with water until a confession of blasphemy became imminent.
  Depending on the person's gender, certain machinations were more effective than others. For women accused of witchcraft, "The Breast Ripper" elicited more pain from women than from men. The name "Breast Ripper" leaves little room for interpretation. Four sharp metal unguals would attach to the woman's chest and slowly rip apart her breasts as questioning became more intense.
  
  

Geography

• Simplicity at its finest: A torture rack
  
  England, the Czech Republic, Austria and the Netherlands are the countries with the most diverse assortment of torture museums. London, especially, makes torture into a spectacle worth seeing. The Clink has become an infamous prison museum where history enthusiasts can regale in the gruesome nature of prison life that dominated London up until the 18th century. The Clink leaves no lurid detail of prison life unturned; there are even crudely painted mannequins on display in each of the cells. As is the motive for most forms of torture, the prison was focused on extracting confessions from the incarcerated. One of the items exhibited is an apparatus called the "scold's bride," a metal strip that would be shoved into the jaws of women and pulled back abruptly for maximum pain.
  Nuremberg, Germany, is also a pronounced point of interest for a glimpse into the means for trying a defendant. In the Middle Ages, dungeons were often employed to hold prisoners awaiting trial or execution. The Museen der Stadt Nurnberg gives an apt account of what it was like for the prisoners incarcerated in Nuremberg during the 14th century.
  The Prague Torture Museum in the Czech Republic showcases medieval torture devices ranging from chastity belts to iron maidens, similar to the "Virgin of Nuremburg" referenced in the history section, and does not limit itself to Czech history. Conversely, a place like the Tower of London is region specific, parading the harsh state of living suffered by prisoners of London during the reign of Henry VIII.
  
  

• Most museums of torture display items from the Inquistion era