A surprise awaits visitors to the canton of Vaud - the collections at Morges Castle. Located on the shores of the picturesque Lake Geneva, close to the majestic Mont Blanc, the castle hides several museum collections within its walls. These include the Paderewski Museum, the Vaud Museum of Artillery and Military History and the unique Museum of Historical Figures. Nearly fifty years have passed since the latter collection was opened to the general public (the Museum of Historical Figurines opened in 1982), and the collection continues to impress, not least with an unusual polonie related to the history of war strategies.

Morges Castle - 800 years of history

Morges was first mentioned in 1286, when Louis I, brother of Amadeus V, then Count of Savoy, built a castle here to strengthen the fortification system in the region. Until the 1630s, the castle was the seat of local rulers until the Morges region was taken over by Bern. Morges remained under its rule until the end of the 18th century, when, following the invasion of Napoleon's troops, the town first regained its formal independence (but remained within France's sphere of influence) before being incorporated with the canton of Vaud into Switzerland in 1803.

The castle was converted into a museum in 1925 and quickly became an important cultural centre for the region. In addition to historical weapons, armour, banners or flags relating to the military history of the region, since the 1980s the exhibition at the castle has also featured objects from the largest collection of figurines in Switzerland. This collection, comprising more than 40,000 soldier figurines, was donated to the canton of Vaud by the Swiss collector Raoul Gérard in 1959.

A history of strategy in figurines

Thanks to Gérard's meticulous work, a unique exhibition has been created that reveals the history of war strategy. The figurines, created by renowned artists such as Madlener, Begnini, Rousselot and Bombled-Wilke, were made of tin, lead and antimony. Arranged on mock-ups, they form reconstructions of battlefields from different eras and regions of the world. The exhibition faithfully depicts the history, heraldry, clothing and landscapes of the battles, transporting visitors back in time and space.

Model of the Battle of Vienna

One of the most interesting mock-ups in the collection of the Museum of Historical Figures is a reconstruction of the Battle of Vienna. The victory at Vienna, achieved on 12 September 1683, is one of the most important events in Polish and European history, as it was the first great victory over the Ottoman Empire. The sultan's army, numbering more than 55 000 soldiers, was almost completely crushed. The mock-up depicts the climax of the battle, when some 20,000 horsemen of the Polish hussars under the command of Jan III Sobieski launched an attack on the Turks in the valley, around 6 p.m. The charge of the Polish hussars, which gradually gained momentum, was supported by armoured flags, light cavalry and the troops of the allied Austrians and Germans.

The Polish victory reverberated around the world, which was reflected in the art and literature of subsequent eras. The model in the collection of the Museum of Historical Figures shows the vast battlefield, rendering the figure of Jan III Sobieski and the hussar horsemen with extraordinary precision.