Schloss Schwarzburg.

Schloss Schwarzburg - Schwarzburg Castle, Schwarzburg, Freistaat Thüringen, Bundesrepublik Deutschland.

   The Schwarzburger Zeughaus weapons collection, comprising approximately 4,000 items, is the oldest and only surviving princely arms collection in Germany.

   The first known reference to a harness chamber ("Harnasch kamer") at Schloss Schwarzburg was found in a contract for the separation of the Schwarzburg counties from 1453. It served to store the armor and equipment of the castle's lord.

   As field armies grew, more and more heavy field and fortress weapons were acquired. The armory, originally used, became too small. Therefore, a separate building was soon constructed for the storage, care, and provision of military consumer goods (so-called "things"). The first mention of a Schwarzburg arsenal, dating from around the same time as the armories of Graz, Dresden, and Kassel, can be found in a Schwarzburg arms inventory dating from around 1550/60. The building was located west of the castle gate, above the moat, and also served a defensive purpose. The design of the building, whose main builder remains unknown, demonstrates a hybrid form between military and civilian storage, which was common at the time. Until the 19th century, the building's primary function was to store weapons on the ground floor; the upper floors served as fruit or grain warehouses, which could be conveniently supplied in the event of a siege.