Hungary returns child armour of King Sigismund II Augustus to Poland

Hungary is returning the child armour of Polish King Sigismund II Augustus to Poland in the name of the friendship between the two countries, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Krakow on Wednesday.

Presenting the armour at a ceremony at the Wawel Royal Castle, Orbán said “it was not an easy story” to decide who had rights to the artifact. “But after some time it became clear that the truth is on Poland’s side and this precious object belongs to them, though we, too, have become fond of it,” he said.

Orbán said the situation had been made more complicated by the fact that museologists “tend to protect anything that is part of the nation’s culture and are not happy to give up a single item”.

The prime minister noted that the armour had ended up in Hungary because of a misunderstanding, with experts believing it to be that of King Louis II of Hungary.

“We thought it was ours,” he said, adding that it had eventually turned out to be the armour of Sigismund II Augustus of Poland.