Cambodia is a country of fascinating temples, vibrant cities and friendly people – but its recent history is one of deep tragedy. Visitors to the capital, Phnom Penh, cannot avoid one of the country’s most harrowing sites: the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Once a school, it became one of the world’s cruellest prisons under the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror. Today, Tuol Sleng is a silent memorial that keeps alive the memory of the victims and vividly documents the horrors of one of the darkest chapters in human history.
Location and how to get there
The museum is located in the heart of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. It is located in the Chamkar Mon district, close to many other historical sites. The address is 113 Street, Phnom Penh – only a 10 minute drive from the Royal Palace. Many travellers reach Tuol Sleng easily by tuk-tuk or taxi. Tuol Sleng is often combined with a visit to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, as together the two sites impressively document the dark history of the Khmer Rouge regime.
The dark history of Tuol Sleng
Tuol Sleng, which translates as ‘Hill of the Poisonous Tree’, was originally a normal school: Chao Ponhea Yat High School. But when Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia in 1975, they turned the school building into the infamous Security Prison 21 (S-21). A place of education became a centre of terror and systematic extermination.
Between 1975 and 1979, an estimated 17,000 people were imprisoned at Tuol Sleng, tortured and later murdered in the Killing Fields. Most of the victims were civilians: intellectuals, teachers, monks, doctors and even children. At Tuol Sleng, being suspected of ‘counter-revolutionary activities’ was often enough to be imprisoned. In inhumane conditions, prisoners were brutally interrogated, tortured and forced to make confessions, most of which were completely arbitrary.
Only about twelve people survived this prison – an almost unimaginable number considering the thousands who lost their lives here.
Layout and impressions of the museum
The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is housed in the original building of the former school – a complex of four long, multi-storey buildings. From the outside, the architecture is unassuming, but as soon as you enter the compound, the atmosphere changes. Everything seems quiet, heavy, almost oppressive.
Building A has large rooms with individual metal beds with chains – relics of the interrogation rooms. On the walls are photographs taken by the Vietnamese army immediately after the liberation. They show the victims lying dead in these very beds. These pictures are hard to bear, they show the regime’s contempt for humanity. They are not staged historical accounts – they are brutal reality.
The photo galleries in Building B are particularly shocking. The Khmer Rouge meticulously documented their victims: everyone brought here was photographed – frontal, with a prisoner number, often several times. Today, these portraits hang close together on the walls. Men, women, young people, even children. Their faces reflect fear, despair, sometimes complete emptiness. These pictures are central to the emotional understanding of the place, they make the incomprehensible suffering visible individually. These are not anonymous victims – these are people with stories!
Building C clearly shows how classrooms have become prison cells. Massive brick or wooden walls divide the once open spaces into tiny cells, some so small you can barely turn around. The iron rings used to shackle the prisoners can still be seen on the floors. The windows are barricaded with wire mesh and wood to prevent escape or suicide. Everything has been preserved in its original state – which makes the place so oppressively authentic.
Building D houses various documentaries and displays. Here you will find personal stories from survivors, excerpts from interrogation transcripts and even testimony from the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Also on display are tools and everyday objects from Tuol Sleng, including instruments of torture, clothing, books, stamps and lists.
Throughout the site there is a deliberate avoidance of sensationalism. There are no dramatic stagings, no multimedia shows. The rooms speak for themselves – through their emptiness, through the traces of violence, through the silent testimony of an unspeakable tragedy. The intensity is created precisely by the sobriety of the presentation.
Meaning and impact today
Tuol Sleng is more than a museum – it is a symbol. It is a reminder of Cambodia’s dark past, a call for justice and a reminder to be vigilant so that similar atrocities do not happen again. For the Cambodian people, visiting Tuol Sleng remains a painful but necessary step in the process of coming to terms with their history.
The museum also plays a central role in the international discourse on genocide, human rights and the mechanisms of totalitarian violence. It not only documents the horrors of the past, but also reminds the world how fragile peace and freedom can be.
Emotional depth: Why a visit to Tuol Sleng is moving
There is no other place where travellers are so directly confronted with the human capacity for cruelty – but also with the need for empathy, remembrance and responsibility. Looking at the photographs, the cells, the simple plaques with names and stories, it is clear that behind every number there is a person with a family, with dreams and hopes.
The silence, the austere architecture, the evidence of violence – none of it leaves visitors unmoved. Many say that visiting Tuol Sleng is one of the most powerful and moving experiences of their trip. An emotional challenge, but also an opportunity to raise awareness of historical and contemporary injustice.
Advice for your visit
- Opening hours: Open daily from 8 am to 5 pm (last admission 4 pm).
- Admission: Admission is approximately USD 5. An audio guide is available and highly recommended as it provides a lot of additional background information.
- Behaviour: Please respect the dignity of the site. Photography is allowed, but please respect the moment and the victims.
- Combination: Many people combine a visit to Tuol Sleng with a trip to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, about 15 kilometres outside Phnom Penh.
A visit to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is not for the faint of heart, but is essential for a deeper understanding of Cambodia’s history and the immense impact of Pol Pot’s regime. Visitors to Tuol Sleng confront the past in a direct and painful way – and perhaps realise more than ever the importance of humanity, peace and remembrance.
The visit may be sad and disturbing, but it is also an act of respect for the countless victims whose voices live on here. Tuol Sleng is a memorial to the world – silent, sombre and infinitely important.
