This type of weapon is known under many, most often German names - Messer, Grossmesser, Bauerwehr or Hauswehr. Between 14th and 16th century it was an extremely popular weapon in all German-speaking countries as well as in those, where German colonists or merchants eagerly settled, such as Czechia or Poland. It was widely used by most townsmen and free peasants, but its popularity rose between knighthood as well. Technically speaking, the messer is a big combat knife - therefore, it was often used instead of the sword. Such popularity resulted in many court trials between the sword producers and knife producers and during these lawsuits, they tried to settle who has the only right to produce this weapon type. The messer’s very characteristic feature was the „nagel” - the enlarged hilt rivet which - in case of using messer without a shield - was often the only protection for swordsman's hand and this construction detail determined the method of messer usage.
The above replica is based on a sword found in the Vistula river, near Włocławek, and dated to the 16th century. Krieger Team had a rare opportunity to take a closer look at this artifact when it was under research held at the Department of Arms Studies at the Institute of Archeology at the University of Lódź. In a certain sense - from a construction point of view - it’s something exactly opposite to messer found at Dąbrówno. It’s very light and thin as a razor. Despite being very well preserved and quite big - the relic’s weight was only 400 grams. Thanks to these features, this weapon can be carried whole day without even noticing its weight.
The blade’s profile which is similar to a butcher’s knife is giving it marvelous cutting capabilities – supreme to all double-edged swords and matched only by a handful of sabres. Because the original relic’s sword guard was missing Krieger Team decided to reconstruct the hilt on a basis of 16th-century iconography. The grip is all made of hardwood covering the tang from all sides so the hand is not having contact with metal elements other than the guard. The hilt’s shape provides reliable and strong grip. The scabbard is made out of two, very thin alder planks covered with vegetable tanned leather with handmade stamping. It is well-fitted so the whole weapon is slim in shape.
