Kriminalmuseum Graz

In 1895, the lawyer Hans Gross (1847-1915) established a collection known as the “Criminal Museum at the Regional Court for Criminal Matters” in Graz. This collection primarily consisted of “corpora delicti.”The initial compilation of teaching materials allowed for the training of students, lawyers, and detectives by utilizing objects obtained from well-documented criminal cases.

The fundus was completed with not only weapons, projectiles, and toxins, but also with animal and human preparations such as smashed bones and traces of blood.For the first time, this intricate collection is now accessible in virtual space.

One object that stands out in the collection is the crime scene case.This refers to the objects that Hans Gross used to conduct “thorough investigations” at crime scenes.Gross methodically expanded the approach to solving crimes, establishing himself as the founder of criminalistics.