The face of the reaper, Rothenburg, Germany. The almost jolly expression and the playful mustache and petit goatee belie the seriousness of this medieval executioner's mask, though the empty darkness beyond the eyes can still give the spine a chill.

The mask is just one of hundreds of fascinating artifacts to have found a home in Rothenburg's Kriminalmuseum, "the only museum of law in the European area, and... the most important collection of the history of rights there is."

While many towns in Europe offer sensational displays of medieval torture and punishment devices, this museum ambitiously attempts, in four floors and more than 130 glass cases, to illuminate a thousand years of legal history, all accompanied by English explanations.

At a time in history when civil rights appear to be eroding at an alarming rate, it is quite appropriate to explore the history of where we were, and how we got here -- leave plenty of time to study and reflect when you visit.