Torture Museum – History of medieval torture methods used in Transylvania

The Torture Museum is a nice little museum in the outer courtyard of Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, Romania. The museum is near the main entrance bridge to the castle, very close to the ticket kiosk.

Known as Expozitia De Tortura, it is an exhibition of the historical torture techniques used in Transylvania in medieval times. A grisly topic, but fascinating nonetheless, this exhibition was in a dungeon near the castle entrance.

Torture In Transylvania, Inside The Castle

Entering Corvin Castle through the main entrance rather than heading to the main courtyard, there are some side rooms. These lead down stone stairs into a dungeon they once used as a torture chamber. The dungeon features fascinating exhibits of the devices and methods used throughout the castle’s history.

Each implement and display has English descriptions of the torture method. Descriptions also showed what crimes they used these methods for. It is all very brutal and fascinating at the same time. The exhibits mainly focus on methods used in the 14th to 17th centuries. The archive had many artefacts showing the methods of punishment and interrogation used. This had some with lifelike figures enduring their punishments.

Torture Museum

Outside the Expozitia De Tortura, a guillotine sets the tone and draws you to the exhibition. Visitors can put their heads into the mock guillotine and feel like the last moments of the condemned.

The exhibition is in the building’s basement that houses the administrative spaces of the medieval complex. It is also the Museum of Archaeology, History and Ethnography in Hunedoara. The exhibition shows, visually and with sound effects, scenes from the tortures practised in Transylvania in the Middle Ages.

The exhibition features replicas of torture devices such as the Judas Cradle and the Iron Maiden, to name a few. Artists and historians created this exhibition to create a horrific atmosphere. This was to show the victims’ suffering realistically. The lighting and sound effects really add to the atmosphere, including the cries of pain.

Medieval Torture Techniques

During the Middle Ages, they considered torture a legitimate means of extracting confessions. They also used it to punish criminals and execute sentences. Some methods were considerably harsher than others. They considered torture essential because they used the principle “It is better that one thousand innocents perish than to let one heretic walk free.”

They built a torture chamber, especially to instil fear into a person’s heart. They usually built it underground, with limited light. In front of the room, with a covered face and wearing a black hood, the torturer awaited.

Typically, he would get the “heretic” frightened by describing every detail of what was going to happen to them. They would then start the ordeal after the instruments got blessed and sprinkled with holy water.

Opening Hours & Cost

The exhibition is open Monday to Sunday, between 09:00 and 20:00. The entry fee was RON 10, which is about £2 or $2.40. FURTHER INFO…

I am not sure if the museum is dog-friendly. But on my visit, the receptionist really wanted to meet the dog and waved him in.