Law and order. In the so-called “turris parva”, which used to be the bell tower of the chapel, there are thematic displays on Tyrolean laws and the independent path of Tyrol in the administration of justice along with the fragment from the Meinhardine Legal Code (1286). Castle Tyrol’s extensive coin collection (around 140 items) is stored in a safe with ten drawers. Five large-scale reproductions provide additional information, giving visitors an insight into the world of numismatics. The economy, law, order and defence make up the “red thread” of the museum tour in the East Palace.

The Hammer of the Witches and the mask of shame. The medieval system of law was precisely codified. There was a prescribed punishment for every crime committed: the worse the crime, the harsher the punishment, and the death penalty was not infrequently imposed. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII published his papal bull against witchcraft which formed the legal basis for the persecution of witches. Heinrich Kramer’s book “Malleus Maleficarum”, The Hammer of the Witches, appeared three years later. The last witch to be beheaded and burned in Tyrol was in 1722.
The punishment for smaller crimes was public humiliation, for example by being forced to wear a “mask of shame”.