During our visit to Tallinn in our grand Northern Europe tour, the Baltic country offered a wide range of museums and sights. In Tallinn, there is a heavy leaning towards the Medieval theme, and the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments was an impulse visit. Tickets were €9, but we felt this was a little over priced for the two small basement rooms of torture.
It is just down the road from the Town Hall, on Viru. The vaulted basement is filled with a series of torture tools, alongside printed descriptions in English, Russian and Estonian. The artefacts on display were interesting, but it was unclear if they were original or reproduction. It was still an interesting and educational experience.
It really demonstrated to us how horrific it could have been to live in a society where there was constant suspicion, and a zealous interpretation of religious beliefs to find a way to cause pain and suffering on others. The instruments on display were a sign of the creepy imagination of people to find ways to torture and torment others.
There was no interaction with the exhibits – unless you were willing to risk your safety with a Medieval artefact! Plenty of reading and lots of tools of torture to look at.
