Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

extremely informative highly recommended the audio tour, super heavy content. i was never taught about this genocide in school and after coming here and learning more about it i can’t believe it isn’t talked about more. two survivors were actually selling their book when we went as well, getting to meet them was both surreal and emotional. super amazing men, thankful to have had the experience i did.

If you come to Phnom Penh, please come here. It’s a very heartbreaking place. You can feel the cruelty of the Khmer Rouge. The staff were very friendly. Please give it a go with the audio guide. It’s worth every penny. The history and the stories of all the victims, you can feel their suffering coming here. Please support, the victims by buying their books. It only cost $10 per book. Please prepare yourself before coming here. Praying to all the victims and the victims’ families. May all the souls rest in peace.

A must go destination for tourists to get a better understanding of Cambodia’s past history the atrocities that occurred there. To remember and pay our respects to the innocents young and old. It was very tough seeing all of the faces and the methods used for torture but that’s just some of the horrible things that the Khmer Rouge had done. Gone but never forgotten.

Heartbreaking, but the museum is very well done and tells the story without embellishment. Some graphic images to be aware off, however the Roma that they are in are very well signed.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is a harrowing testament to the destructive power of ideology unbridled by compassion. Once a school, its classrooms became chambers of unimaginable cruelty, driven not by monsters but by men intoxicated with righteousness. Each rusted bed frame and faded photograph whispers a warning: the pursuit of utopia can demand the annihilation of humanity. Ideology, seductive in its promises of clarity and justice, becomes dangerous when it eclipses conscience. The Khmer Rouge sought perfection and delivered a wasteland, where dissent was a crime and life itself a casualty. Wilde observed that “the true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” Here, the visible accuses: a stark reminder that the cost of ideological purity is often measured in lives. The visit left me deeply moved. It is not merely a memorial to the past but a warning to the future: salvation lies not in dogma, but in empathy. No vision of paradise is worth the price of a single soul.

Very educational and thoughtful place on the horrors of what people can do to people. For me as a Teacher, it was troubling that the torture centre uses to be a school. I am Teaching in Vietnam and have taught in schools with this exact layout, so it was very sad to see a former place of education turned into this. Well worth a visit to be educated on what happened here 50 years ago.

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, serves as a haunting reminder of the atrocities committed during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979). Originally a high school, the site was converted into a secret prison, known as S-21, where an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 people were imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately killed. Today, the museum showcases the brutal history of the regime, with exhibits featuring prisoner photographs, torture devices, and personal artifacts, providing a poignant tribute to the victims and a powerful warning against the dangers of extremism and hatred.

I believe it's very important to come and learn about this part of Cambodia's history. I didn't know of it before... the pictures and details are truly horrifying. The site does a good job of reinforcing the significance of the topic, but there are a few things to consider: The audio guide is essential for understanding the site, as there are no explanations otherwise. It really should be included in the ticket price, but instead, they charge an extra $5 for it. The staff at the counter could be more welcoming. I understand that dealing with large numbers of tourists can be exhausting. But still I expected a better attitude from them especially in this place. Also I saw some parents bringing their child to this place 😬, I mean it's your personal choice of course but the pictures are truly graphic! Better to avoid it bringing them in.