2

EUROPEAN MILITARY

MUSEUMS

increasing store of museological information. This study, however,

was not undertaken with the objective of such intense examination.
Rather, an attempt was made to cull from a vast body of infor
those facts which appear significant in fashioning the
museum as a particular type of institution. The minutia of
extraneous, though often interesting, detail has been avoided to
focus upon the principal aspects of museum operations and
mation

activity. Hence, six key subjects have been selected for

some

detailed consideration :
Museum Philosophy.

Every military museum presumably

has a fundamental philosophy which is given expression in some
discernible objectives. This philosophy is usually apparent in the
exhibits and the type of services which the museum makes avail
able to the general public, although its more detailed aspects may
be discovered only after prolonged discussion with its staff. It is
possible to evaluate in part a museum's effectiveness by noting its
stated objectives, by judging if its resources are commensurate
with them, and by observing the manner in which these objectives
are implemented in its exhibits, programs, and services.
Building Facilities. The building in which the military
museum is housed can create major problems for the museum staff.
If the structure occupied was originally not built as a museum and
is of considerable antiquity or somewhat inadequate for use as a
museum, it imposes many severe limitations upon the kind of
exhibits which can be shown to the public or creates insurmount
able obstacles with which the museum staff is virtually unable to
cope. In this analysis of European museums, the type and con
dition of the buildings were studied and related to the type and
quantity of specimens displayed. This was attempted in an effort
to formulate

some conclusions

regarding

the determination

of

adequate space for exhibition, ready reference, storage, offices,

workshops, and other facilities which are required for a military
museum.

Exhibition Techniques. The display of military artifacts

requires the application of specialized techniques. These are
contingent upon the size and quantity of weapons, armor, uni
forms, and other objects in the museum collections; space avail
able; the amount of money which can be spent on building the
exhibits; the philosophy

of the museum; and the competence and