Where the mountains are, running away
The distance stretches in the light, The notorious Danube
Eternal streams are pouring.
I listened for a month, the waves sang …
And, hanging from the steep mountains, The castles of the knights gazed
With sweet horror on them.
Fedor Tyutchev
Military museums in Europe. The Arsenal of Hovburg Castle in Vienna or the Vienna Imperial Arsenal is not the only place in Austria where you can see an impressive collection of knightly armor and riders in armor sitting on armored horses. There is also the Ambras Castle in Innsbruck, where Archduke Ferdinand II (1529-1595) housed his world-renowned extensive collections in the Unterschloss (Lower Castle), a large building built specifically for museum purposes.
Weapon of Heroes
The core of Ferdinand's collection was the Heroes Armory. Thus, the Archduke realized the very first systematic presentation of artifacts in the history of Europe, based on his new idea of methodological collection. He valued the original armor, which belonged to all personalities known in his time and past centuries, as well as weapons and portraits, and spent a lot of money on all this. The goal was the best: to preserve the memory of their deeds and to emphasize the leading historical role of the Habsburg dynasty. Moreover, his collection consisted of more than 120 armor, mainly military leaders and persons of royal houses. Eight original tall wooden cabinets, ordered from his sketches, have survived to this day and, as before, are displayed armor. Well, having collected his collection, Ferdinand included himself among the heroes.
Castle Ambras contains many perfect tournament armor. This tournament armor, shown in the photo, was made by Jacob Topf, who was Ferdinand II's gunsmith from 1575 to 1597. In addition to fulfilling the orders of the Archduke, he also produced mass-produced armor for the arsenal. After his death, the workshop was managed by his widow Anna, that is, it is obvious that the woman was well versed in all this! He also had a brother, but he was not involved in the arms business - a rather surprising phenomenon with the then nepotism. Topfom was made from twelve armor, which are mentioned in the inventories of Ambras in 1581/83 and 1596. According to these records, the armor was not produced all at once, but over a fairly long time between 1580 and 1590 and in several stages. Each armor weighed about 30 kilograms; the helmet and cuirass were especially heavy. Jacob's armor differs from the armor of his predecessor, Melchior Pfeiffer, in more rounded shapes, which is especially noticeable on the chest, helmet and back. In this they also differ from the very slender armor of the Augsburg school, for example, the master Anton Peffenhauser. In addition, the helmet of the armor is strikingly high, and the lower part of the cuirass is cut out by a toe. Another feature of Jacob's work was the well-thought-out reinforcement of the left side of the helmet and chest, as well as gloves for the left hand and protection of its upper part. Jacob Topf can be called the last great court armor in Innsbruck; and his works were quite worthy to compete with the armor of such great competitors as Anton Peffenhauser. Master Jacob Topf (born in 1573 in Innsbruck, died in 1597 in Innsbruck). Armor dimensions: height 170 cm, shoulders 73 cm, waist 38 cm.
Ferdinand took over the collection of armor from his ancestors Archduke Sigmund (1427–1496) and Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), so his beginnings were more than solid. And then … being at the tournaments, he explained to the participants why he wanted to buy their armor, and where they would be stored, well, they often agreed. And then they ordered new ones with the money they got. So the interest in such purchases was mutual!
In fact, the collection at Ambras Castle became the Second Armory of the Habsburgs, apart from the one they had in Vienna. Even today, the collection of Vienna is one thing, and the collection of Ambras Castle is another. And she, by the way, presents Ferdinand as a zealous owner, a skillful organizer and manager of court holidays and tournaments. He was very fond of tournaments, which became safer from year to year, which is why there are so many tournament armor in his collection, which were masterpieces of Prague and Innsbruck gunsmiths.
The portraits on the walls depict famous commanders of the 16th century, whose armor was exhibited in the Armory of Heroes.
Turkish Chamber
Note that the 16th century was the era of the most severe confrontation between Europe and Asia, represented by Ottoman Turkey. Its troops captured all of Greece and the territories of many European states north of the Balkans, and even threatened Vienna itself. Wars with the Turks went on continuously. During the fighting, numerous trophies were captured, so it is not surprising that Ferdinand also created a special Turkenkammer ("Turkish Chamber") in his castle, in which he exhibited Turkish armor and weapons. The collection "Turcica", which was collected by Ferdinand, corresponded to the "Turkish fashion", which was very much loved in the 16th century.
Ottoman "armor", arrows and quivers, sabers, shields and helmets, saddles and tops of banners - all this and much more came here as diplomatic gifts or as booty from the battlefield. And again, all this was also a reminder of the victories over the Ottomans, who were then very feared, and who extended their territory to the very borders of the Habsburg kingdom. And again … they were afraid, but copied, dressed up as "Turks" to participate in costume tournaments, ordered armor on the model of the Turkish ones. The exposition also contains weapons and armor of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), but we will tell about them some other time …
