History, Design & Mechanics

Explore the story behind the guillotine

The Guillotine Headquarters

In 1792 the guillotine was built, tested, modified and made ready for the first execution. But why was it necessary to use a machine for beheading?

Discover the people behind the history: Sanson, Dr. Antoine Louis, Deibler, Weidmann and many others who became connected to the guillotine through politics, medicine, crime, and execution.

Learn more about the history, its construction, and the mechanical principles behind how the guillotine operated.

Build your own detailed 1792 scale model guillotine using historical measurements and drawings.

If you are interested in historical locations in Paris connected to the guillotine, explore this historical guide.

Build a guillotine model

To build a real French revolution guillotine model you need the right measurements.

On June 17th 1939 Eugene Weidmann was executed outside a prison in Versailles.

There has, throughout history, been several more or less scientific experiments with severed heads.

6 questions about the guillotine.
What do you know about the history of the guillotine?

Test your knowledge

History, Design & Mechanics

The Guillotine Headquarters

Build a guillotine model

To build a real French revolution guillotine model you need the right measurements.

The last public execution.

On June 17th 1939 Eugene Weidmann was executed outside a prison in Versailles.

Can the head survive?

There has, throughout history, been several more or less scientific experiments with severed heads.

Test your knowledge

6 questions about the guillotine.
What do you know about the history of the guillotine?

History, Design & Mechanics

The Guillotine Headquarters

Build a guillotine model

To build a real French revolution guillotine model you need the right measurements.

The last public execution.

On June 17th 1939 Eugene Weidmann was executed outside a prison in Versailles.

Can the head survive?

There has, throughout history, been several more or less scientific experiments with severed heads.

Test your knowledge

6 questions about the guillotine. What do you know about the history of the guillotine?

6 questions about the guillotine.
What do you know about the history of the guillotine?