Dresden Armory, Military museum in Dresden Castle, Germany

The Dresden Armory occupies the Riesensaal of Dresden Castle, a hall nearly 60 metres long and 13 metres wide, built in its present dimensions in the 16th century. Its roughly 10,000 objects date from the 15th to the 18th century: about 2,200 swords, sabres and daggers, 1,400 pistols and 1,600 rifles, plus armour, court dress and portraits made by goldsmiths, armourers and court tailors across Europe.

Duke Albert the Bold founded the ducal armory in Dresden Castle in 1485 after receiving an independent duchy through the Leipzig Partition. Elector Augustus merged it with the hunting chamber in the 16th century and began the museum era; the oldest inventory, from 1567, lists over 1,500 weapons. In 1831 it came under state administration as the Royal Historical Museum, and since 2013 it has been shown in the Riesensaal of Dresden Castle.

The Türckische Cammer, open since 2010, holds Ottoman objects brought to Dresden largely as war booty after the 1683 battle before Vienna, when Elector Johann Georg III fought on the imperial side. Its centrepiece is a large gold-embroidered tent, displayed with bows, quivers and leather vessels.

The museum is open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and can be accessed through step-free entrances at Sophienstraße, Taschenberg 2, and Schloßstraße. It is wise to allow at least two to three hours for a comfortable visit and to choose the quieter morning hours.

Only about 5% of the roughly 10,000 objects can be shown at once, so the displays change over time. The collection includes some 2,200 swords, sabres and daggers, plus 1,400 pistols and 1,600 rifles. The Riesensaal housing it measures almost 60 metres long and 13 metres wide.