The Lucerne Historical Museum was opened on 23 May 1986 in a former arsenal building located on Pfistergasse in Lucerne. The museum displays artefacts that tell the history of the city and the canton of Lucerne. Here, for example, you can see the chain mail of Duke Leopold of Habsburg, who died in the Battle of Sempach in 1386. There are also various antique objects used in everyday life (coins, jewellery, toys, crockery, figurines, etc.), as well as historical costumes from the collection of Angelique Sophia Panchot de Botten, which used to be kept in the Clothing Museum in Utenberg. A detail of a fountain from Weinmarkt Square is kept on the ground floor.
The building that now houses the collection of the history museum was built between 1567 and 1568 and was intended to store weapons. In 1983 it was closed for renovation, and three years later it was handed over to the Lucerne History Museum.
Lucerne first started talking about creating its own History Museum in the 18th century. However, individual exhibits in its collection began to appear only in the middle of the 19th century. In 1866, the architect Alfons Pfiffer, who designed the National Hotel in Lucerne, proposed to build a new building for the Historical Museum. Only in 1873 the city council allocated one hall on the ground floor of the old Town Hall for the historical exhibition. Five years later, the museum's exposition occupied several rooms, and since 1924 - and the neighbouring hall, used in the old days for storing grain. Nevertheless, in Lucerne there was a constant discussion about providing the Historical Museum with a more spacious building. The problem was only resolved when the museum moved into the former armoury.
