Welcome to a chilling tour of the 10 horrifying torture contraptions that once lurked within the stone walls of Belgium’s Castle of the Counts. From bone‑crushing implements to public humiliations, each device tells a dark tale of medieval justice gone awry.

10 Horrifying Torture Devices at Gravensteen

10 Thumb Screws

We’ve already chatted about thumb screws before. When medieval Europe needed a prisoner to talk, thumb screws were usually the go‑to method. Most of us recognize this device – essentially a metal vise that clamps around the thumbs or fingers. As the screw turns, it slowly crushes the digits between two iron bars.

At the Castle of the Counts, the thumb screws were tightened just enough to cause searing agony, then secured with a padlock. Inmates could be left in that torment for days, their only companions the cold stone walls and their own screams.

If that still failed to produce a confession, the executioner—who often doubled as interrogator—would simply smash the victim’s fingertips with a hammer.

9 Spike Collars

Think of an iron maiden, but narrowed down to a cruel necklace. The Castle of the Counts even dedicated an entire chamber to this device, complete with a crucifix‑shaped window where a priest could offer last rites should the interrogation turn fatal.

The spike collar was a metal band studded with inward‑pointing needles, slipped around a prisoner’s throat while he stood in the centre of the room. Ropes tethered the collar to each wall; any slight movement would drive the spikes straight through the throat. Most victims didn’t survive beyond three harrowing hours.

8 The Limb Cleaver

The limb cleaver was a massive, grim‑looking blade built for a single, brutal purpose: severing limbs. The illustration accompanying it shows a pile of dismembered hands and feet, perhaps exaggerating how frequently it was employed.

In medieval Ghent, this tool was treated as a form of corporal punishment, akin to a severe spanking for serious infractions. It was handed out to thieves and other minor offenders. The last Ghent executioner, Jean Guillaume Hannoff, died in 1866; his son later donated the cleaver, along with his prized hangman’s noose, to the city.

7 Branding

Branding is an ancient method of both punishment and identification, used on animals and, regrettably, on humans. The Castle of the Counts didn’t reinvent the practice but certainly kept the flames burning.

At the castle, branding served as a permanent sentence. Judges could order a “T” brand for temporary forced labour, a “TP” for lifelong forced labour, or a “TPF” for perpetual forced labour related to forgery—a crime taken seriously enough to earn its own brand.

6 Straitjacket Contortion

These weren’t the soft‑cotton straitjackets we picture today. Ghent’s leather straitjackets were engineered to be as uncomfortable as possible, turning a restraint into a full‑blown torture system.

Straps on the arms linked to buckles across the garment, and when fastened, they twisted the wearer into an almost unrecognisable shape. Longer versions could also bind the legs. Prisoners usually endured this for only a few days, but the contortions often left lasting damage.

5 The Mule

Also called the “Spanish donkey,” this device resembled a carpenter’s sawhorse with a sharp, raised ridge on the horizontal board. Victims were forced to straddle the mule while heavy weights dangled from their feet.

The agony was unimaginable: the prisoner’s entire weight pressed onto a single point right over the genitals. The more severe the crime, the heavier the added weight. A similar contraption was reportedly used by Union soldiers on Confederate prisoners during the American Civil War, leaving many permanently crippled.

4 Mask Of Infamy

Sometimes punishment didn’t stay hidden in a dungeon; the public could be the executioner’s audience. Masks of infamy were iron helmets that, while uncomfortable, caused no direct pain. Prisoners were chained into these ridiculous masks and posted in town squares for citizens to hurl stones and insults.

The masks were deliberately absurd to maximise humiliation. Though relatively painless, the iron could heat up under the sun, turning them into scorching cages. Variations existed: masks with oversized ears were said to be for “silly” offenders, while those with pig snouts targeted those guilty of “dirty” crimes, though the exact definition of “dirty” remains vague.

3 Textile Mills

From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, Ghent stood as a powerhouse of the Northern European textile industry, second only to Paris for five centuries. The city’s population now hovers around 250,000, a shadow of its former industrial might.

During its heyday, the city’s prisons supplied a steady stream of cheap labour for the bustling textile mills. These water‑powered factories were perilous; workers could be crushed by massive gears or knocked unconscious by the leather straps that drove the wheels. Prisoners, being disposable, were the obvious choice.

Cloth produced in these mills bore a distinctive seal, indicating its destination and the manufacturing company. Spotting such a seal today reveals a piece of fabric that was once spun by incarcerated labourers at the Castle of the Counts.

2 The Wheel

The wheel was a favourite torture instrument across medieval Europe, and the Castle of the Counts employed it in two grim fashions. Sometimes a prisoner was strapped to the wheel and slowly rotated over an open flame, offering brief respite at the top before the scorching heat resumed.

More commonly at Gravensteen, the wheel was wrapped with a strip of iron spikes. The condemned was hoisted over it, and as the wheel turned, the spikes scraped across the victim’s back. Guards could increase the torment simply by lowering the prisoner a fraction of an inch, allowing the spikes to bite deeper.

1 Pressure Belts

Extended prison sentences didn’t become commonplace until the 18th century. Before then, detainees were usually held only a few days, subjected to torture for a confession, and then presented before a judge.

Pressure belts were one method guards used to keep prisoners in line during the lengthy pre‑trial period. The device featured an iron collar around the neck attached to a wide iron belt encircling the waist, with welded wrist shackles linked to the belt. Guards could tighten the belt to the point of restricting breathing, and the attached shackles forced the wrists into a painful bend, creating a hybrid of a straitjacket and an iron corset.