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Deutsches Klingenmuseum Solingen
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The German blade museum is a museum with origins in regional history and at
the same time a museum with an internationally meaning collection. This special
situation just like the pronounced specialization constitute its attraction.
Solingen is well-known for centuries as city of the blade. High-specialized
craftsman, whose experience were mastered over generations, made high quality blades for swords,
degens and knives for daily
need. Their call penetrated into almost all
parts of the world and involved extensive exports.
Solingen lives still today on this call, even if the importance of the blade industry
dropped in the last decades continuously. Remaining- as a historical
development - are the products of the Solinger blade, the knive
and cutlery manufacturers. The blade museum, whose collections began
almost 100 years ago and whose existence persists as museum now nearly 75 years, is
not limited however to the regional high quality pieces from past times.
It presents the history of the blade, cutting and associated also the
table culture from the bronze period to modern cutlery today. In
particular the cutlery collection of the museum could be substantially extended
in the last years owing to generous promoters and national support and
represents now the world-wide largest collection of their kind.
Like all special museums the German blade museum shows a multiplicity of similar
articles. The visitor is shown, chronological various topics. They illustrate the different use of
edged
weapons, scissors and cutleries. Beside the actual the museum exhibits also pictures
and items themselves play a large role. At some emphasis of the collection the medium
of the production is used: so a small, crude table with few rural knives and
forks points out that the relationship of advanced culture and everyday
culture, for example, presented in the museum, does not corresponded to the historical
situation in the time around 1500 at all. Completely opposite were the
wonderful items delivered today and were
considered as being of high value. Everyday life articles however were used,
and finally thrown away; only few pieces came to us.
Also with the edged weapons there is a tension between the large
number outstanding art-relating unique pieces, which served
usually as a representation, and which becomes clear relatively rare copies of
genuine combat weapons. So were
the field weapons from the time of the 30 year war openly given to the viewer. They are
shown in this way in showcases. Thus the visitor on its tour experiences an alive
museum with a modern, visitor-friendly and informative conception.
It is a course by the culture history of the meal, from the simple measurer to
the cutlery designer of the 20th century. In addition, it is a course by the history of
the edged weapons from the whole world, of the bronze sword from Iran up to the
splendor sword of the modern times.
Some practical info about the museum:
Deutsches Klingenmuseum
Klosterhof 4,
42653 Solingen
Telefon: +49(0)212-258 360
Telefax: +49(0)212-25836-30
klingenmuseum@solingen.de
Visting hours: everyday from 10h00-17h00, Friday from 14h00-17h00, closed on monday. Entry fee: 3 euro.
A pictorial tour of the museum:
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