Neighborhood News: Chicago Loop’s Medieval Torture Museum
“Enter the minds of fanatics, madmen, and murderers, and discover the world’s most detailed collection of confinement and torture devices.”
Medieval Torture Museum website
If. You. Dare.
Now that we’re in the doldrums of winter, it’s time to shake up your life with new adventures, new resolutions, and most importantly, new experiences!
For a memorable January 2024, I can’t think of anything more interesting than learning about medieval torture. Especially when it comes complete with interactive exhibits, gory heads and twisted devices from many centuries ago.
DO YOU KNOW ….
- How to ride a ‘Wooden Horse?’
- What country used a ‘Bloody Eagle’ as a means of execution?
- What the ‘Cradle of Judah’ is?
You can find the answers, and so much more, at the bizarre, twisted, macabre, and delightfully informative Medieval Torture Museum. Located in a building connected to the Chicago Theater at 177 N. State Street, it’s the largest interactive museum of its kind in the U.S., and was inspired by museums in Europe that allow visitors to experience “the emotional side of the torture chamber,” according to a Chicago Readerprofile.
“Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it”
The idea of creating a museum where visitors could feel the emotional side of the torture chamber, according to Wikipedia sources, was inspired by a visit to the torture museum in the Czech Republic, where “there was only old, dilapidated equipment that was exhibited behind glass.”
As the Chicago Loop Alliance notes, the Museum’s curators based their exhibits on historical documents and engravings. A team of scientists, historians, decorators and sculptors have worked on creating a unique collection consisting of several hundred pieces filling more than 6,000-square feet.
The first museum opened in St. Augustine, Florida in 2019. In the fall of 2021, Chicago became the second location for the Museum, having amassed an unprecedented collection of cruelty, re-creating the atmosphere that prevailed throughout most of the Middle Ages.
Kid n’ Play
While you can play the role of ‘executioners’ and ‘victims.’ sit in the ‘spiked chair of inquiries,’ pose in a “barrel for drunkards,” or weigh yourself on special scales. There, you can determine if you too heavy to be deemed a witch!
You can also try on the aforementioned ’Spanish boot,’ stand in the pillory, and drown a witch in a barrel of water.
Fun, Medieval style!
Not surprisingly, the Medieval Torture Museum has rules…. it’s not recommended for kids under 18 without an adult. Also, children under the age of 10 are admitted free of charge as long as they are accompanied by a dedicated adult (1 adult to 1 child). They are open Monday – Thursday, 10am-8pm, and Friday – Sunday, 10am-9pm. For tickets and more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
