Armor & Music

The museum in the National Library in Vienna was one of the most entertaining museums that I have ever visited. I would call this museum an educational museum, because it is designed to be be very interactive.
Upon receiving the audio guide, we could listen not only to the history of a given object but, in the case of instruments, we could hear what they sounded like.
Dr.O recommended an excursion to this museum due to its interactiveness and its fun factor. I have to agree, Eric, Andrew and I enjoyed our time there.

For example, walking through the different rooms we could see and hear the evolution of sound of the piano. It was interesting to see how in the Renaissance the piano had a certain sound to it, that we are used to hearing from movies. And then how different it sounded during Mozart's time.
The guys and I highly enjoyed the military part of the museum. Eric and I love guns, so we had fun looking at these beauties. I took tons of pictures of different guns, rifles, and pistols. I was amazed with their beauty and the attention to detail in their making. The collection was impressive. The Habsburgs had a lot of guns commissioned for them for hunting and person purposes. The designs were so rich and decorative. These weapons really show the power and wealth of the Habsburgs. The pictures I took are of some of the gold embellished rifles that impressed me very much. The picture below really shows the details in the decorations. Of course, the pictures I took do not do justice to the real appearance.

Other than weapons, the museum also displayed a vast amount of armor from different time periods and for different purposes. I was amazed to find out that armor was not only meant for fighting but also for festivities. I saw one armor, all silver with a skirt. That armor was meant for all types of festivities and balls. There was another armor that was actually inspired by Spanish fashion. I was not aware that armor  was styled on fashion trends. However, that makes sense, since these men would wear their armor all the time.
Another thing that I was interested to find out was how the military lifestyle was engraved in society. On the picture to the left we see a boy armor. It was intended for little boys. This means boys were thought early about knighthood and service. I am not sure if this means that boys were thought early how to fight or ride. Did having an armor this early help in having an easier time in later becoming a knight?