Landeszeughaus

The Landeszeughaus (Provincial Armory) in Graz is the world's largest armory that has been preserved largely in its original condition. The building was constructed between 1642 and 1647 to plans by Antonio Solari in the style of German early Baroque. Historically, it served as the central weapons depot of Styria, supplying the provincial levy as well as the troops stationed along the military frontier against the Ottoman Empire. Its five stacked floors provided the space needed to store and maintain equipment for sixteen thousand soldiers in an orderly fashion.

Today the building is part of the Universalmuseum Joanneum and houses around 32,000 exhibits. The collection spans an immense variety of protective gear such as suits of armor and helmets, edged weapons and polearms, as well as rifles, pistols, and accessories. The focus is on armor and weapons for infantry and cavalry soldiers from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. You can also admire richly decorated officers' weapons from famous workshops in Augsburg, Innsbruck, and Nuremberg. Among the particular showpieces are the cuirass of Archduke Charles II and a horse armor dating from around 1510.

The building's history is closely tied to the military threat posed by the Ottoman Empire. After the Peace of Karlowitz in 1699, the armory lost its strategic importance. In 1749 it faced closure and dissolution, but the Styrian Estates managed to convince the empress of the ensemble's cultural value. During World War II the weapons were evacuated, and they were returned without losses after the war. Since a comprehensive renovation in 2013, the Landeszeughaus has been wheelchair accessible and attracts thousands of visitors every year.