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Heeresgeschichtliches Museum
Heeresgeschichtliches Museum
Aka museum of military history
Aka museum of military history
This museum is the leading museum of the Austrian Armed Forces. It documents the history of Austrian Military affairs from medieval times all the way to WWI (there is a WWII exhibit that will be coming out soon, but sadly, we never got to see it). It contains pretty much everything military. You can find medieval armor, Turkish banners and tents that were left by the Turks when the invaded Vienna twice, stuff from the Napoleonic Wars, the car that Archduke Franz Ferdinand was in when he got assassinated, massive tanks from WWI, planes from WWI, and more.
medieval stuff
medieval stuff
Our tour of the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum began by examining artifacts dating all the way back to medieval times. The artifacts included lots of medieval armor, swords, spears, cannons, paintings, coins, and more. To many things to count.
Relics of the Ottoman invasions of vienna
Relics of the Ottoman invasions of vienna
Some of the weapons in the Medieval part of the Military History Museum are not actually Austrian, but rather, they were Turkish. These weapons were taken from the Turks when they invaded Vienna, not just one time, but twice. They first invaded it in 1529, and then they invaded it again in 1683. The Ottomans at that time were one of the largest empires in Europe, and a constant threat to Christendom. For that reason, the Holy Roman Empire was seen as a "last bastion of Christendom".
The first Ottoman Invasion of Vienna was led by Suleiman the Magnificent. The first invasion is pictured above.
The second Ottoman Invasion of Vienna was led by Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha. Here in the painting above, you can see how the Ottomans are depicted as ugly savages, and as these evil men that need to be stopped. This was a common tactic in such propaganda back then, and it still is a tactic to this day. Among the people who led the Viennese against the Austrians was Prince Eugene of Savoy, who would make a great career for himself as a brilliant strategist and war hero.
When the Ottomans invaded Vienna, they left a lot of things behind, such as banners, tents, weapons, etc. All of these were collected by the Viennese and kept in the museum. Here, you can see some of the weapons that the Ottomans left behind.
Early modern relics
Early modern relics
As stated before, this museum contains every single moment of Austrian military history, from medieval to WWI. This includes military engagements during the Napoleonic Wars and the Revolutions of 1848.
In this car, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot by a Serbian terrorist. The terrorist group responsible was known as the Black Hand. As a result of this, as well as other complicated geopolitical drama, Europe was drowned in WWI.
These were weapons used to kill Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Emperor Franz Joseph believed Serbia supplied the Black Hand with these weapons. Whether or not this was true is subject to debate, but what is certain is that this served as a pretense for the apocalypse known as WWI.
This was a well-fortified bunker from WWI. As you can see, it got a massive dent from an artillery shell.
This is the inside of the bunker from the third picture. As you can see, there's no hole (though there is a dent). That said, the soldiers still died agonizing deaths.
WWI uniforms.
Replica of a WWI trench. I cannot fathom the amount of fear one felt being in the trench, knowing that going out means certain death. Even after reading All Quiet On the Western Front in high school, it still is insane that these soldiers had to go through such hell.
Look at the size of that artillery gun!
WWI plane.
Today was crazy awesome!
We went to the Heeresgeschichtliche Museum, a museum dedicated to military history.
On the way there, I stumbled upon 2 Stolpersteine (“stumbling stones”) right next to each other. The sheer amount of dedication and research that goes into these things is mind-boggling because the people who place them did all sorts of research to find the precise place where people were right before deportation to the camps. I respect the people who placed these stones as it provides a unique insight into the Holocaust.
Once I got to the Heeresgeschichtliche Museum, we saw all sorts of historical military artifacts ranging from medieval times all the way to WWI (the WWII exhibit has yet to be completed). We pay especial attention to the portrayals of the Turks during the 2 Sieges of Vienna that occur in the Middle Ages, as we’ll be discussing them tomorrow for class.
Finally, I went to the museum’s coffee house, which is also a gift shop, and got some sweet Apfelstrudel and mocha. I also got an old postcard dating from 1931 for only 10€!
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