The Rubí Vallhonrat Ethnographic Museum weapons room holds one of the most complete, outstanding collections. A big amount of these weapons have been used in the most important battles held during the last centuries. At the beginning weapons were developed for self-defence and hunting purposes. Later on, the human being changed its uses with highly negative impacts. In spite of that this is not a military showroom but a reference point in our history; a set of documents which give information and help us understanding events. We can see weapons used during the Carlist Wars or rifles that went to Cuba or the Philippines, as well as seeing how both sides fought at the Ebro Battle during the Spanish Civil War.
Another important aspect is the design’s evolution: at first weapons were heavy and difficult to carry. Afterwards the technique was improved so that they became lighter and more convenient. We can find bombshell incendiary bombs, hand grenades, gas masks used during the I and the II World War and other kinds of older weapons like gunpowder containers (to keep gunpowder for avancharge weapons, which needed exact quantities of gunpowder inside not to explode). There are also other curious items like a cross which happens to be a camouflaged short-range gun used by women when walking long distances.
There are real handicrafts like the wheel gun made in Germany during the 16th century or three guns from Ripoll made by the gunsmiths named Angelats (in 1780) and Eudald (in 1798). Its uniqueness is beyond the fact of being a firearm. They transfer us to some occupations where precision and care at work turned items into works of art. The bandits tradition in Catalonia is still alive in many towns and we can see a blunderbusses collection, for they are part of the Catalan folk and culture features.
The room is decorated with medieval armours replicas although the most important one is an original piece from the Japanese army dated from the 16th-17th century. Therefore in this area there is a wide range of different styles and eras items. With a little bit of imagination they will take us back in time to the places where these objects were used.
