Museo della Tortura

e della pena di morte

The exhibit»

The exhibit continues to achieve resounding success thanks to its strong and clear historical value and includes unique instruments. An exhibit which doesn't need to emphasize its message through bloody representation and horror scenes: instruments speaks for themselves. It's an unique exhibit because of its interpretation and its strong effect on visitors. The horror aroused in our visitors viewing the instruments allows us to make them our allies against torture. The exhibit wants to be a great testimony and doesn't linger in the past but becomes a living matter. It lays bare the worst side of human nature: every man hides and holds back a potential butcher. If displayed with great accuracy and propriety, the exhibit helps to fuel a sympathetic awareness on the matter, and to respect the opinions and beliefs different from ours, that is the elementary foundation of modern democracy.

Preview»

Chastity Belt

Chastity Belt

Heretic’s Fork

Heretic’s Fork

Guillotine

Guillotine

Hatchet for cutting of hands and feets

Hatchet for cutting of hands and feets

Hanging cages

Hanging cages

Branks

Branks

Knee splitter

Knee splitter

A chain scourges

A chain scourges

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden

Interrogation chair

Interrogation chair

Permanent museums

Nowadays, torture is not a common argument, it leaves us rather indifferent as we consider it distant from our world and our culture. Yet torture spreads today all over the world, refined by electronics, pharmacology and psycho neurology. Although the instruments displayed belong to the past, some even more diabolic and refined are created and…

San Gimignano

San Gimignano

Siena

Siena

Volterra

Volterra

Lucca

Lucca

Montepulciano

Montepulciano

Temporary Exhibitions

Our association has been running and organizing torture traveling exhibits for 30 years. Thanks to the collaboration and dedication of many researchers and collectors, in Italy and in Europe, we collected the richest documentation of the genre. The on-going acquisition of objects has allowed us through the years to diversify our patrimony, our contents and cultural goals according to different realities and demands of the various countries. At present the collection, counting more the a thousand pieces, has been divided in six permanent museums and three world-wide traveling exhibitions. Many cities have welcomed us with great interest, the exhibit that originated in Florence (Italy) in 1983 has already become internationally renowned as “exceptional testimony against state and power criminality perpetuated everywhere since time immemorial”. During its journey, the exhibit has always received a great public success and a positive  consent from critics, from the press and medias (both national and local).

It’s important to highlight that this initiative is part of a wider project that consists of collateral and  multimedia activities such as meetings, debates and cultural festivals, in collaboration with international associations like Amnesty International, the Human Rights Mexican Academy, the United Nations and with the support of Public Authorities and National Institutions, in order to sensitive the public opinion about human rights. The proceeds will be channeled into financing the above mentioned activities and into the opening of new permanent exhibitions against torture.

If you are interested in hosting a traveling exhibit, please contact us at: info@torturemuseum.it

Scheduled Exhibitions