Torture Museum: reality is scarier than vampire legends

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

What you will not see in Moscow, on the Arbat. But it is here, not far from the provocative erotic museum, that there is an equally interesting museum of the history of corporal punishment. What is this place, and what exhibits can be seen in this exposition?

House of horror or true story?

The owner of the unusual exposition, Valery Pereverzev, is quite a pleasant man who gladly answers any questions and smiles a lot. When asked why he began to collect precisely items related to torture, he does not give an exhaustive answer. There has always been interest, says Valery. First, handcuffs appeared, then a little later - whips, tongs and blocks. When there were too many exhibits, they were exhibited at the All-Russian Exhibition Center, and only after that did the Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment appear on the Arbat. Valery still personally conducts tours forvisitors and is ready to talk for hours about his hobby. At the same time, he asks guests to consider the collection not as an amusement attraction, but as a collection of artifacts from the past. Of course, most of the exhibits are reconstructions, but the main purpose of creating the museum was to acquaint the public with the customs of punishment and torture in different eras.

Unique Torture Museum

Exposures dedicated to corporal punishment and medieval executions can be found in many countries of the world. Moreover, the Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment in Moscow is not the only one in Russia and, one might say, is quite modest by world standards. However, its creator claims to be unique. The thing is that for the most part the expositions devoted to this topic are a combination of real historical facts and mystical superstitions. In Europe, in a similar museum, they will tell not only about how they were executed and tortured in the Middle Ages, but also tire them with legends about witches and vampires. But this is not the worst option, many displays of corporal punishment look like "horror houses" from amusement parks. In addition to models of instruments of torture, they include monster dummies, frightening music sounds. The Moscow Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment is a completely different place, according to the creator, this is the case when real historical facts are scarier than invented stories. In this case, the organizers of the exhibition are only required to tell and show everything that once was in reality. And let all these tools remain in the windows as a memory of the past, notreturning to the real world.

Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment: photo and description of exhibits

Moscow exposition on the Arbat called Torture Museum opened in 2011. Initially, the museum occupied 4 halls, but it is gradually expanding and refurbishing without being closed to guests. In subdued red light, visitors can see various instruments and accessories for torture. These are impressive structures like an electric chair, a chair with nails, a guillotine. Valery Pereverzev's collection also contains a lot of compact instruments of torture - "Spanish boots", shackles, lashes, branding devices and much more. The exposition also includes costumes of executioners from different nations and times, as well as portraits of the most famous professionals in this craft.

Where is the Torture Museum?

Finding the Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment on the Arbat is not difficult at all. It is located in the very center of historical Moscow. Exact address: Old Arbat, 25/36. Previously, this room was the restaurant "Image" Berlin. Today, above the steps leading to the basement, there is a Torture Museum sign, offering guests a cultural program that has nothing to do with eating. The Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment is a unique place in the capital that is worth visiting at least once. Separately, it should be noted that the exposition is popular not only among the citizens of our country, but also among many foreigners. And this is an undeniable success.

Visitor information

The Museum of the History of Corporal Punishment is open daily from 12.00 to 22.00. The exhibition is open to guests over 18 years of age. A female ticket costs 300 rubles, and a male ticket costs 400 rubles. Why such discrimination? This is a little joke of the owner of the museum. He believes that women perceive new information better and have more developed curiosity. The discount is also provided because of his personal respect for beautiful ladies. However, if a man wants to buy a women's ticket for himself, the museum staff will not mind, but Valery would like to personally meet a man who is ready to change sex for the sake of saving a hundred rubles. At the entrance, visitors are also expected to face-control, representatives of the organization may refuse to sell an entrance ticket without explaining the reasons. Excursion service is free - on weekends the group meets every two hours. It will not be boring to walk around the museum without a specialist. Near each exhibit there is a sign with its detailed description.