Pumhart von Steyr

Pumhart von Steyr

The Pumhart von Steyr in the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum at Vienna
Type Cannon
Place of origin Liezen, Styria, Holy Roman Empire
Service history
Used by Habsburg
Production history
Designed Early 15th century
Specifications
Weight ~ 8 t
Length 259 cm
Barrel length 144 cm
Diameter 76–88 cm (conical muzzle)

Shell weight 690 kg
Caliber 80 cm (ball diameter)
Maximum firing range ca. 600 m

The Pumhart von Steyr is a medieval supergun from Styria, Austria, and the largest known wrought-iron bombard by caliber.[1] It weighs around 8 tons and has a length of more than 2.5 meters. It was produced in the early 15th century and could fire, according to modern calculations, an 80 cm stone ball weighing 690 kg to a distance of roughly 600 m after being loaded with 15 kg of gunpowder and set at an elevation of 10°.[2]

The bombard is today on display in one of the artillery halls of the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum at Vienna; it is accessible from March to October.

Besides the Pumhart von Steyr, a number of 15th-century European superguns are known to have been employed primarily in siege warfare, including the wrought-iron Mons Meg and Dulle Griet as well as the cast-bronze Faule Mette, Faule Grete and Grose Bochse.

Footnotes

  1. Schmidtchen 1977, p. 162
  2. Schmidtchen 1977, p. 163

See also

References

External links

Media related to Pumhart von Steyr at Wikimedia Commons

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