Musée de la Tour des Prisons

About

The Museum of the Tower of Prisons is a museum located in Lunel, a commune in the French department of Hérault. Located today in the historic centre of the village, the 16-metre high tower was built in the 11th century as part of a dam and served to protect the Notre Dame Gate. During the religious wars of the 16th century, it was transformed into a prison, a function it held until 1917.

The building was classified in 1998 as a historical monument under the protection of monuments. After several months of renovation, the tower was inaugurated as a museum on September 20, 2014. You can visit the old prison cells and the guard room upstairs.

Over 300 graffiti of former prisoners were kept in the rooms. The exhibition also presents various everyday objects found during searches on the site, especially in prisons. These include logs, newspaper clippings, ink barrels, cubes, scissors, buttons, shoes, clay or wooden pipes, clasps and rags.