Museum of corporal punishment in Moscow: reviews of tourists

If you know what specifically belonged to the direct duties of the executioner and you have an idea of what the latter was different from the inquisitor, if you imagine the mechanism of action of the known instruments of torture, if you understand what the fundamental difference between execution and torture is, Most likely, the museum of corporal punishment in Moscow you have already visited. For the uninitiated, our virtual excursion is meant.

About the history of the museum and its creator

Museum of corporal punishment in Moscow began with a pair of ordinary handcuffs. Then one more, and more, were added to them, and then the most real shackles appeared in the collection. These things were collected by a simple Moscow guy, a historian by education, Valery Pereverzev. His personal collection was replenished, and eventually all of its subjects became cramped in one hand. So, at the end of 2011 the number of Moscow museums increased - Valery Pereverzev opened his own on Old Arbat.

What is the museum of corporal punishment on the Arbat?

To say that its exposition is the only one of its kind, it is impossible. Such institutions exist all over the world, and even in Russia there are several interesting exhibitions on similar topics. For example, the Museum of the History of the Gulag in Moscow or the Museum of Torture in St. Petersburg. And yet this Moscow exposition is very remarkable.

The founder put her whole soul into the work. He himself conducts tours, meets with guests and prepares exhibits for the exhibition. Valery - a man truly keen, apparently, that is why his endeavor was waiting for success.

The Museum of Corporal Punishment in Moscow lives its own special atmosphere. And to create it help not exhausting screams recorded on tape by a handful of actors, and not sham bodies stretched out on their hind legs. Valery Pereverzev himself on this account has this opinion: carefully selected elements of the decor and the tools of the executioner laid out as a ruler are the best help to imbue with the atmosphere of Medieval cruelty.

Expositions

The exhibits of this museum are shocking. Very many of them are genuine torture adaptations, impregnated with the energy of suffering and death. Some are made by modern masters according to blueprints of the Middle Ages. But first things first.

The first hall of the interested visitor is met by the executioners. No, of course, not real, but only their portraits. They look at the tourists from the walls of the museum and seem to escort them with their heavy looks. It is interesting that all these portraits were written by Valery Pereverzev himself. This exposure, perhaps, may seem the most innocuous: it does not plunge into a state of shock, but sets a wonderful mood for the grim wave of the atmosphere of cruelty and suffering.

The second hall is a workshop for torture. Here you can see the terrible weapons and machines, learn more about their direct purpose and the boundaries of human cruelty and ingenuity.

Exposition № 3 tells about the peculiarities of corporal punishment. Here, too, are the instruments with which the hangmen once administered justice. In addition, the guide will talk about the peculiarities of punishments, their types and ways.

The fourth hall is a place where terrible devices for carrying out the death sentence are collected. Comments here are superfluous, it is better to listen to the guide in the museum.

The fifth exposition completes the introduction to the program. Here are the items that are used for punishment, torture and executions these days. In fact, all these items had their medieval ancestors, with which visitors had already met in other halls. Thus, the Museum of Corporal Punishment in Moscow becomes the place that gives an opportunity not only to get acquainted with some moments of history, but also to think about what we are doing in the present.

The most interesting exhibits

Do you know what the Andreevsky cross is and how does it differ from the cross of humility? Andreevsky cross is an X-shaped device for torture. The victim was fixed on him by pulling her limbs with ropes. The hands and feet of a man crucified on such a cross did not receive a flow of blood and sooner or later died off. The name of this instrument of torture was obtained on the basis of the fact that it was on such a cross that Andrei Pervozvanny was crucified.

The cross of humility is a device by which the victim was fixed in one position, leaving her unable to move her hands. The cross of humility was usually used if it was necessary to immobilize the witch. And Andreevsky cross, and the cross of humility can be seen in the museum on the Arbat.

There are also traps for witches. They are metal devices with spikes on long sticks. The studded part is designed to cover the witch's neck, keeping the woman at a safe distance from her executioner. So it could be deduced, say, on the scaffold, and not be afraid of the fact that she will start to conjure.

And do you know what a "uterine cat" is? This device, by means of which the insides of a person accused of pedophilia or human zoophilia were extracted through his anus. It was always in front of the local public.

Since we are talking about cats, we can not fail to mention one device that few people will remain indifferent. It's a catophone. Outwardly, it looks very much like a piano, only when you press the keys are you injured by kittens placed in special sections of the catophone. They publish a terrifying melody of fear, pain and agony. Indeed, for some people in those wild times there was nothing sacred.

A few words about immorality and imaginary psychopathology, as well as reviews of tourists

On some particularly impressionable personalities, only the name of the museum makes an indelible impression. Creators, workers and visitors of the exhibition, such people are called mentally unstable, and a visit to the museum itself is considered a terrible sedition. Is it justified? In no case.

As Valery Pereverzev himself admits, the museum of corporal punishments on Arbat was not conceived of as a repository of vice and sodomy. In fact, his visit and scare something should not. Simply corporal punishment, torture and death penalty are as much a part of our history as the exploits of the allied army in the war against fascism. And to disown from this unsightly part of the past is still not entirely fair.

By the way, tourists usually leave the museum under the impression. They say that the guide very convincingly immerses in the atmosphere of obscurantism, reigning in the Middle Ages. Well, probably, it's better to see it with your own eyes.

Where to go?

So, important information for those who firmly decided to visit the museum of corporal punishment in Moscow. Address - Arbat street, house 25. It is possible to come, visit, look at the excursion from 12 to 22 hours daily. It is not difficult to find a museum, next is the Arbatskaya metro station.

How much money to take with you?

We pay attention to those who want to visit the museum of corporal punishment: the ticket price depends on your gender. Women visiting the museum will cost 300 rubles, and for men - a hundred rubles more. Why is that? It's just a little caprice of the creator.

Persons who have not reached the age of 18 will be allowed to enter the museum only accompanied by adult friends, parents, grandparents. Excursions are organized in the museum. The prices for them are better specified by phone. Tickets to museums in Moscow can usually be bought in the museums at the entrance.

Can I get the camera?

No. This exposition, as well as many other museums in Moscow, photos for personal archives and distribution on the Web do forbid. The fact is that some exhibits of the exhibition are so shocking that people with weak psyche and children can cause psychological trauma. So come and see the exhibition yourself. If, of course, not scared.