Gedanken zu antiken Waffen in Schweizer Museen – Komplette Sammlung Carl Beck, Museum Sankturbanhof, Sursee, LU, im Internet

Abstract

In Switzerland, as in other countries, a large part of the arms and militaria in museum collections are held in stores, which can make it difficult for researchers to obtain access or information. There is only a small number of printed catalogues, which could provide an introduction. Many of these are out of print and difficult to find in libraries or second-hand bookshops. Catalogues published prior to 2000, e.g. those describing the collections in Solothurn (1905) and Lucerne (1912), only contain short summaries, lack information about materials and contain few images. Even the catalogues of Rudolf Wegeli of the weapon collection in Berne (1920-1948), which were exemplary at the time of their publication, contain some out-of-date information.
Being aware of the problems outlined above and taking into account the changing function of social and military history museums as well as the impact of new media, the management of the museum Sankturbanhof, Sursee decided to publish the collection of weapons donated by Carl Beck on the web. The online database was based on Jürg A. Meier’s catalogue and subsequent annotations. This is the only collection of weapons held by a Swiss museum, which can be accessed online in its entirety, covering all 274 objects. Online databases offer new possibilities to museums to convey information about previously dormant collections in a user friendly and efficient way and should be taken up more readily.