Archery museum
Rixensart
History of archery.
Appeared more than 10.000 years ago, the bow is a hunting and combat weapon and, from time to time, an object of relaxation
and leisure.(Illiad, canto 23). In the Middle Ages, archers protected the lords and their castles and fought under their orders
similarly armed militias (gilds or oaths) provided security in the freed cities.
Appeared more than 10.000 years ago, the bow is a hunting and combat weapon and, from time to time, an object of relaxation
and leisure.(Illiad, canto 23). In the Middle Ages, archers protected the lords and their castles and fought under their orders
similarly armed militias (gilds or oaths) provided security in the freed cities.
Around the 16th century, firearms (cannons, etc.) became militarily more effective and the guilds of archers evolved
towards a more athletic practice of their art. The shot is essentially horizontal, towards a circular target, but the designation
annual du Roy (the champion) of the guild was practiced rather during a vertical shot, in public in this case, the goal is
to shoot down a wooden bird hanging from the top of a windmill wing, a church steeple or a pole erected for the occasion.
The French revolution suppresses the associations of shooters (1795) which will however be reconstituted a few years later.
From our national independence (1830) many companies of shooters developed, many of which were oriented
essentially towards bird shooting on vertically erected poles.
The museum presents an overview of the use of the bow from prehistoric times to the present day and the emergence of vertical
pole archery as a leisure activity.
Fac-simile of prehistoric bows and arrows
Laeken (Brussels) 1785 )
