Museum of Natural History in Jeseník

Vlastivědné muzeum v Jeseníku is housed in the historic building of the water fortress and offers a very rich insight into the history of the area. In one exhibition section there are objects from prehistoric times and visitors can learn about the history of the mining and spa industry.

The local collection of minerals and rocks is extensive, including a two-tonne wandering boulder in front of the museum building. A large area is dedicated to the plants and animals that inhabit the meadows and forests of the Jeseníky Mountains.

A great new section is dedicated to the famous trials when the Church Inquisition accused many women and men in the area of witchcraft. This witch hunt took place for most of the seventeenth century and it is in the museum that you can learn much about it through documents and historical objects. One can get an idea of the cruelty of the Inquisition, for example, from the torture instruments used to confess to conspiring with the devil. You can appreciate a modern take on a film that is ingeniously projected not on a screen but on a mist-cloud.