Description of the attraction
The Treasury of the German Order is located exactly opposite St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. It is housed in a house that still serves as the residence of the great master of the famous Teutonic Order, which has existed for more than 800 years. In the immediate vicinity of this house is the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, which serves as the main temple of the order.
We can say that the history of the birth of the order's treasury dates back to 1525, when Grand Master Albrecht Hohenzollern converted to Lutheranism, resigned from himself and announced the secularization of the order's lands. Then all the rich decoration of temples and churches that belonged to the order was exhibited in this house. Therefore, the Treasury of the German Order is considered one of the oldest museums in all of Vienna.
Among the most ancient exhibits on display here, the first insignia of the order, including the 13th century coronation ring, stand out. However, here you can also see a variety of coins, medals, seals and miniature crucifixes made in the same historical period.
In a separate gallery, the first jewelry is presented, already brought from overseas territories, for example, from India and China. The museum also houses a unique collection of daggers from the island of Sumatra with hilts decorated with precious stones and images of Buddha.
However, the main museum collection belongs to the historical period of the Late Gothic and Early Renaissance. It includes silver chains, considered the insignia of the great master, coins common in Prussia and Livonia, various tableware, including a finely crafted salt shaker made of soft pink coral.
The museum also displays many of the Gothic altars that were saved during the Reformation and the Napoleonic Wars. A unique surviving document is also a fragment of the papal bull of Gregory IX, dated 1235. The treasury also consists of a portrait gallery of all the Grand Masters of the German Order.
