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Topic: looking for good european armour museums

K S-W
New Member
Member # 672

posted 06-23-2005 11:55 AM

Hi, All --
I figured this would be the place to ask this question:
What are the best museums for armor in Vienna or Salzburg, Austria; Mainz or Frankfurt, Germany; and Zurich or Lucern, Switzerland?
I'll be going to those cities in a few weeks, and would love to include some armor-viewing in my itinerary.
Thanks for your help
--Kent

Registered: Oct 2004 | IP: Logged

chef de chambre
Admin & Advocatus Diaboli
Member # 4

posted 06-23-2005 03:07 PM

Wow, well you are going to some of the right places for a fact.

Vienna houses the Kunsthistorishes museum, which is perhapos one of the most significant armour collections out there, losts of stuff, ranging from Migration era arms and armour, but the bulk of the collection is 15th & 16th century. Some very, very famous armours reside there. The Sigismund of Tyrol Harness, the Helmschid harness for Maximilian I as a young man, the Fredrich the Victorious harness by Antonio Missaglia - it will be well worth your visit.

I'm not sure about Mainz or Frankfurt, - Nuremburg has some things in the City Museum. Switzerland on the other hand, Lucerne has a large collection in it's Historichesmuseum, and I believe Zurich does as well.

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Bob R.

Registered: May 2000 | IP: Logged

K S-W
New Member
Member # 672

posted 07-02-2005 10:18 AM

Chef --
Thanks very much for the great suggestions. Will definitely plan on visits in Vienna and Zurich, and will make a valiant effort to see Luzern, as well.
Also castles on every hilltop, etc, etc. --

I know just what Ginevra was talking about on another thread. It is like a time-machine to stand in those places that saw the history, and have changed so little in 500 years (other than having electricity and being somewhat more worn!)

All the best
--Kent

Registered: Oct 2004 | IP: Logged

Gordon
Member
Member # 597

posted 07-03-2005 07:18 PM

If you are going to Austria, you should really try to visit the Landeszeughaus in Graz, Styria. Although most of the collection is late-16th and 17th Century, still it's an impressive accumulation of munitions-grade arms and armour, probably the most important one in the world. There is plenty of high-end arms and armour scattered about in the world's museums by comparison; the Graz Armoury collection is quite unusual in having primarily soldier-grade equipment. And LOTS of it, too!

I was lucky enough to see the collection in it's US tour twice (San Francisco and DC) and it's impressive as heck... to see the entire armoury, chock full of the very arms and armour that were used in the defense of Christendom against the Turks would be incredible indeed.

Cheers,

Gordon

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"After God, we owe our victory to our Horses"

Registered: Apr 2004 | IP: Logged

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