Musée Sandelin.

Musée Sandelin - Hotel Sandelin Museum, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France, République Française.

   The museum houses the largest collection of weapons in northern France. The collection is primarily of archaeological origin: excavations in a swamp were conducted in the 19th century. This centuries-long immersion in water and, therefore, the absence of oxygen explains their exceptional state of preservation. The corrosion visible today largely occurred after exhumation; the 19th-century discoverers lacked the technical means necessary to stabilize them.
   The collection dates primarily before 1678, the date of Saint-Omer's annexation to France and the source of peace, located far from the border. The weapons are primarily offensive. Many are very representative of the evolution of weapons, ranging from swords from the 11th to 15th centuries to Dreyse weapons from the 19th century.