Styrian Armoury, Graz, Austria - SpottingHistory.com

The Styrian Armoury (Landeszeughaus) is the world's largest historic armoury and attracts visitors from all over the world. It holds approximately 32,000 pieces of weaponry, tools, suits of armour for battle and ones for parades.

Between the 15th century and the 18th century, Styria was on the front line of almost continuous conflict with the Ottoman Empire and with rebels in Hungary. In order to defend itself it needed troops and these troops needed equipment. The Styrian Armoury results from the resulting need to store large quantities of armour and weapons, and was built from 1642 - 1645 by a Tyrolean architect called Antonio Solar.

After about 100 years in use, Austrian empress Maria Theresia wanted to close down the armoury, as part of her centralisation of the defence of Austria. Nevertheless Styria petitioned for the ongoing existence of the armoury for both practical and sentimental reasons. Their petition was accepted and the Armoury was left intact, but largely decommissioned.

References:

Wikipedia

Museums in Austria

User Reviews

Tim Biggs (2 years ago)
This is the armoury in Graz, and holds a wonderful selection of 15th to 18th century weapons and armour. What is initially suprising is that it is truely an armoury- you might have a rack of 50 pistols, and then a wall of halberds, instead of the one of this, one of that, you might see in a museum. However, this certainly does not detract from the experience. The collection includes everything from huge two handed swords (Zweihänder), to incredibly ornate pistols (well worth checking out), to cannons, to a full suit of horse armour, to firearms that looked like rifles but were so large they were operated by a team of people and needed a stand. The whole armoury has relativley subdued lighting to preserve the collection. There are short guides in a range of languages and audio guides (sadly I did not have chance to make use of this as I only had an hour before closing- but certainly better than not seeing it at all!). I would have appreciated more notes/signs as a large amount of the collection is just there without information. If you are in Graz and want to see something a little different this is well worth it. Other practical things: there are toilets and a lift, plus quite a large shop

K R (2 years ago)
If I could use only one word to describe this place it would be - awesome! There are thousands of various pieces of armor, weaponry and other military artifacts to admire, a dream come true for any history buff. We even got to see the famous horse armor (the guide kindly asked us to keep our pictures for private use, so I'll respect their request, but there are plenty of pictures of it online). Armory is accessible only via guided tour, but it's well worth the admission fee (12 EUR for adults).

andrei radulescu (2 years ago)
Biggest standing armory in the world. Nice place to see

Gilbert Fruhwirth (2 years ago)
Absolutely unique collection of war equipment from the middle ages! There is nothing comparable worldwide! A must-see for every tourist visiting Austria. Easy to reach in the city centre of Graz. Guides available, Audio-Guides, too. Museum shop available. Wheel-chair and push-chair accessible.

ugnius ugnisu (3 years ago)
Amazing place. Come in summer or spring though. Learned a new German expression - "I smell the match"

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Me in ME

Historic Site of the week

Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

According to a traditional account, a small Visigoth church, the Catholic Basilica of Saint Vincent of Lérins, originally stood on the site. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque, which was considerably expanded by later Muslim rulers. The mosque underwent numerous subsequent changes: Abd al-Rahman II ordered a new minaret, while in 961 Al-Hakam II enlarged the building and enriched the Mihrab. The last of such reforms was carried out by Almanzor in 987. It was connected to the Caliph"s palace by a raised walkway, mosques within the palaces being the tradition for previous Islamic rulers – as well as Christian Kings who built their palaces adjacent to churches. The Mezquita reached its current dimensions in 987 with the completion of the outer naves and courtyard.

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III of Castile, and the centre of the mosque was converted into a Catholic cathedral. Alfonso X oversaw the construction of the Villaviciosa Chapel and the Royal Chapel within the mosque. The kings who followed added further Christian features, such as King Henry II rebuilding the chapel in the 14th century. The minaret of the mosque was also converted to the bell tower of the cathedral. It was adorned with Santiago de Compostela"s captured cathedral bells. Following a windstorm in 1589, the former minaret was further reinforced by encasing it within a new structure.

The most significant alteration was the building of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the expansive structure. The insertion was constructed by permission of Charles V, king of Castile and Aragon. Artisans and architects continued to add to the existing structure until the late 18th century.

Architecture

The building"s floor plan is seen to be parallel to some of the earliest mosques built from the very beginning of Islam. It had a rectangular prayer hall with aisles arranged perpendicular to the qibla, the direction towards which Muslims pray. The prayer hall was large and flat, with timber ceilings held up by arches of horseshoe-like appearance.

In planning the mosque, the architects incorporated a number of Roman columns with choice capitals. Some of the columns were already in the Gothic structure; others were sent from various regions of Iberia as presents from the governors of provinces. Ivory, jasper, porphyry, gold, silver, copper, and brass were used in the decorations. Marvellous mosaics and azulejos were designed. Later, the immense temple embodied all the styles of Morisco architecture into one composition.

The building is most notable for its arcaded hypostyle hall, with 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry. These were made from pieces of the Roman temple that had occupied the site previously, as well as other Roman buildings, such as the Mérida amphitheatre. The double arches were an innovation, permitting higher ceilings than would otherwise be possible with relatively low columns. The double arches consist of a lower horseshoe arch and an upper semi-circular arch.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory. It's absolutely free, easy, and you can do it even without registration (of course you an also create an free account)!

Styrian Armoury

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby