As far back as in the 10th century, the castle of the counts (Gravensteen in Flemish) was used as a fortified residence, by the count of Flanders. The castle was built on a sandy bank, and is surrounded by the river Leie and it's marshy surroundings, as a natural defense line. At first, this fortification was a wooden building, that was later replaced by a stone structure. Around this time, the castle of the counts got of some administrative importance, holding a role in the changing county of Flanders.
During the ages to come, the castle underwent multiple modifications, and has even been an industrial site, holding milling and metalworking companies in the 19th century.
But the role it has been known for for centuries, is for it being the location of horrible torture. Around the 13th century, the castle housed two courts. The lesser court of the oudburg, and the county's higher court: the Council of Flanders. Both had their respective courtrooms and dungeons in the castle.
These semi-subterrainian dungeons, held the accused in atrocious circumstances. Gruesome torture was allowed to get people to confess. It's not hard to understand, people would confess to anything, just to be done with the torture. Since at the same time, prestigious meetings were still held at the castle, the ambiguity of the castle was huge. The castle, as it stand today, is a restauration to the state it has been at the times before theze tortures. It's a more romantic restoration, that goes back to the ages of Count Philip of Alsace.
The castle of the counts being one of Ghents most important tourist attraction since the World Fair of 1913, restoration has been ongoing since 1985. In multiple phases, tha castle underwent major works to ensure it's stability, standing in the marshes that once surrounded the Leie. Over the years, the castle has been brought back to it's former glorious state, and those works are still going on. At the moment, one of the biggest projects, is the restauration of the northern tower.
Besides the fabulous building itself, the castle of the counts also holds two museums. There's the museum of judicial objects, and the arms museum. It's mostly the first one, that draws in visitors from all over the world. This one of a kind museum, shows the cruelty of punishments under the Ancien Régime.
Under Countess Matilda, the Aldermen were given political and administrative power in the city of Ghent. The law stated, no conviction could be pronounced, without a confession. You will understand that cruel torture, soon became standard practice, to become a confession. Not only te get a confession, inhumane methods and implements were used. Again, after the conviction, the same kind of cruelty went on. Detainees were held in the underground dungeons, judgments were pronounced in it's upper chambers and executions were carried out within it's walls, or in front of the gatehouse. This lasted untill the end of the 18th century, when degrading and corporal punishment gradually abolished. It was the invention of the guillotine, that made all layers of the population, want a more humane death penalty.
Centuries-old instruments of torture and coercion, such as handcuffs, shackles, iron collars, a leghold trap, thumb screws, neck restraints, a little hammer for crushing one finger at a time, a torture wheel, the infamous torture rack, the mask of shame, the instruments used by Ghent’s last executioner, and many more items give us an idea of how justice was served during the Ancien Régime. And people with mental handicaps were not spared, for that matter. They met a tragic fate as they were "restrained" with instruments of torture. Those labelled as “witches” or “heretics” received the most heinous treatments of all.
Suffice it to say that no hands-on visitor activities are planned in these chambers ... just reading about how these instruments of torture were used will be more than enough!
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