Collection of Armaments and Weapon Systems

This is the largest collection in the Museum's holdings and contains items dating to as early as the 10^th century, such as an ancient Croatian sword, all the way to machine guns and hand grenades, called “škveranke”, after the Split Shipyard (popularly called “škver” in Split) where they were built and which were used in the Croatian War of Independence. Standing out among the exhibits of cold weapons and firearms dating to the period from the 16^th to the 19^th century are a heavy ship's rifle and the weapons of sailors from Boka Kotorska, dating to the 19^th century.

Among items from more recent history, the Browning machine gun used in World War II is particularly interesting for its very unusual fate. As an exhibit of the former Military and Naval Museum in Split, it was handed over to the Croatian Army during the Croatian War of Independence, only to "return" from the battlefield to the Museum and become an exhibit once again, as evidenced by the written documentation on display. A special part of the Collection is exhibited in the external setting of the Museum. The most impressive are the ship guns and fortress cannons from the middle of the 19^th century. Also located there are two Škoda ship cannons from World War I, as well as anti-aircraft guns dating to the period from 1936 to 1942.

Collection Manager: Ljubomir Radić, senior curator