From Khotyn to Vienna

The two-part exposition of this name, housed in the halls of Lviv’s Bandinelli Palace (2 Rynok Square), has been timed to commemorate the 330th anniversary of the Battle of Vienna as well as to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Lviv History Museum.

Exhibits of the first part tell the story of the Battle of Khotyn (1621), when the combined forces of the Polish crown prince Wladyslaw and Cossack hetman Sahaidachny defeated a 100,000-strong Turkish army, stopping the Ottoman onslaught for a long time. The exhibition includes interesting documentary material such as schemes and maps of hostilities, engravings depicting the course of the war, paintings and drawings of contemporary weapons, portraits of generals, Polish and Cossack banners, and much more.

The second part’s exhibits tell the story of the Siege of Vienna (1683), the Ottomans’ last attempt to go forward with their European expansion plans. The public has got to see for the first time Melchior Widmar’s mural John Sobieski Meets Leopold I Habsburg after the Vienna Victory, painted 20 years after the Battle of Vienna, as well as unique trophies. The organizers suggest visitors pay a special attention to a horse harness collection, its exhibits silver-studded, decorated with precious stones, and impressing everyone with exquisite techniques used by their makers.

A 17th century Turkish tent, handmade and decorated with a unique ornament, is among the event’s most valuable exhibits. It sits surrounded by a portrait of Cossack Mamai, tulumbas – a kind of drum used for military signaling beginning in the 17th century, Cossack pipes, etc. A golden-inscribed saber, bestowed by the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I upon the Polish king John Sobieski after the latter won the Battle of Vienna, is the gem of the exhibition. According to the organizers, it is the only extant item of such significance in Ukraine. It has been brought to Lviv from the Ternopil Local History Museum.