Armoury – Exhibition at the Castle
Kasia Małysz
Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle / Gothic Gallery (Entrance J)
Like other Ducal residences in Europe, Szczecin Castle already had an armoury in the Middle Ages.
Initially, the militaria were stored in one of the utility rooms, and after the expansion of the castle during the reign of Duke John Frederick, the armoury was arranged on the ground floor of the west wing, adjacent to the silver chamber. The Griffiths' armour and weapons were also displayed in the 14th century St. Otto castle church. In 1616, on the initiative of Duke Philip II, the construction of the fifth wing of the castle began with the purpose of housing the art collections, the library and the armoury. The duke planned to house the armoury in a vaulted room on the ground floor of the new wing. A friend of the Sczecin court, the famous art dealer from Augsburg, Filip Hainhofer, advised the duke to place valuable white and firearms and horse rows in wooden crates along the walls. He recommended displaying various types of armour and parade weapons, both ancient and contemporary, from various countries.
Duke Philip II did not manage to complete the building of his dreams. It was not until 1619 that his brother and successor to the Szczecin throne, Francis I, did so. Eighteen years later, the heirless death of Bogusław XIV, the last ruler of the House of Griffiths, and the consequent division of the Duchy of Pomerania between Sweden and Brandenburg, led to the dispersal of the legacy of the ducal dynasty, and a large part of it disappeared irretrievably (including the famous gift from Pope Alexander VI - the sword of Bogusław X). Today, only a few specimens of weapons with the ownership marks of the Pomeranian dukes can be found in museum collections in Germany and Sweden.
The present Armoury at Szczecin Castle draws on the ancient knightly traditions of the dukes. It presents mainly military and hunting weapons from the modern period borrowed from the resources of the National Museum in Kielce, the National Museum in Kraków and the Central Pomerania Museum in Słupsk.
More information and tickets HERE
