Lviv Arsenal Museum, Weaponry museum in Lviv, Ukraine.
The Lviv Arsenal is a rectangular stone building of two storeys with a small octagonal tower on its north side. Its first-floor walls and the tower date from the 14th century, while the upper storeys were added in the 1570s. Since 1981 it has housed the Arsenal Weapons Museum, a branch of the Lviv Historical Museum.
The arsenal was built in 1574–1576 as a two-story structure, replacing an earlier one-story building attached to the High Wall after the 1527 fire. A third story was added in the 1670s. In 1703 a powder explosion collapsed the vault and killed 36 townspeople; the Swedes destroyed it in 1704, and it was rebuilt two years later. Since 1981 it has housed the Arsenal weapons museum.
The building itself tells stories through its architecture, with the distinctive octagonal tower rising above Lviv's old town. Visitors can see traces of different eras, how various cultures and conflicts shaped this structure.
The museum sits in the old town and is easily reached on foot, located among many other historical landmarks. A typical visit lasts about two hours, giving enough time to view the collections without rushing.
In the 18th century the cellars held captive Ukrainian Cossacks and haidamakas, not political prisoners. One casemate served as a torture chamber and as the lodgings of the city executioner. Archaeologists found remains of wooden structures from the 1270s–1290s, from the time of Prince Lev, beneath the arsenal grounds.
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