Collection manager:

Ivan Mravlinčić
Senior curator
ivan@trakoscan.hr

The Weapons Collection comprises around 300 examples of weapons and protective equipment, or their parts, dating from the 15th to the early 20th century. This is an exceptionally valuable collection that traces the military past of the Drašković family.

Notable items in the collection include three German-made two-handed swords from the 16th century and a group of around twenty schiavona swords, one of the largest such collections in Croatia. The “hook guns”, as well as individual mortars and earlier cannons, could belong to the original defensive system of Trakošćan Fortress from the 15th and 16th centuries, just as helmets and parts of armour might be remnants of the original squad equipment of the Trakošćan garrison from the 17th century.

The cannons bearing the Drašković family coat of arms are linked to the Drašković family’s participation in battles against Napoleon, and French broadswords (pallos) could also date from this period as spoils of war. The group of polearms is exceptionally numerous (63 examples) and diverse – some examples were used as weapons in war, while others were status symbols for the bearers. We also presume that the group of hunting rifles could have been part of the original inventory of the Drašković family’s hunting equipment. Copies of two 16th-century-style armour were acquired as decoration to revive and evoke the chivalric past of the Drašković family and Trakošćan Castle.

The collection also includes six historical flags, one of which is unique in Croatia by its type and period of origin, making it among the oldest preserved flags in general.