“Arms and Colour” is a new exhibition that can be seen in the Arsenal of the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow from Friday 27 October. It exhibits one of the largest and most important collections of authentic historical militaria in Poland.

The National Museum in Krakow has one of the largest and most original collections of ancient militaria in Poland. The new exhibition “Arms and Colours”, which can now be visited within the Arsenal of the Czartoryski Museum, presents a selection of the most valuable objects of Polish, European and Oriental weaponry from around the year 1000 to the mid-19th century.

More than a thousand artefacts are on display, relating to every sphere of military, official, ceremonial, as well as artistic, civil, and spiritual life. Many of them are objects directly related to the most important events and figures of history.

Among the many works on display, memorabilia associated with Hetman Stanisław Jabłonowski, one of the commanders of the 1683 Battle of Vienna, should be highlighted: the karacena armour and a genuine gold mace richly decorated with precious stones. The exhibition will also feature memorabilia linked to the Radziwiłł, Lubomirski and Potocki families, as well as souvenirs of historical personalities such as Tadeusz Kościuszko, Józef Poniatowski and Emperor Charles V of Habsburg.

“The ‘Arms and Colour’ exhibition is not only about military history. It is undoubtedly a successful attempt to show the various aspects of the functioning of weapons in tradition and culture. Without exaggeration, it can be said that weapons have been an integral part of everyday life for centuries. Today, it has become a priceless witness to history, which here, in the Krakow Arsenal, will be recalled once again,” wrote the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Professor Piotr Gliński, in a letter addressed to the participants of the opening of the ‘Arms and Colour’ exhibition.

Adrian Andrzejewski