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One of the drawbacks of the Swiss Guards' medieval uniforms
is that the craftsmanship needed to make them is disappearing.
Faced with an aged stock in need of replacement, they turned to
brothers Johann and Georg Schmidberger - the fifth generation to
run the family blacksmith's business in the Austrian town of
Molln - to provide them with 80 suits of armor covering the
torso and arms.
The brothers have produced 10 of the suits a year since 2009,
meaning the deal will be completed this year, and new
replacements will not be needed for quite some time.
"I think it won't be an issue for another couple of hundred
years," Johann said.
The brothers' workshop, where all kinds of hammers are piled
high near a furnace and anvil, will continue to supply swords,
locks, gates and other items to customers including theaters and
private collectors.
And, for the coming years at least, he and his brother will
produce the Guards' distinctive crested helmets, he said.
(Reporting by Leonhard Foeger and Francois Murphy; Editing by
Andrew Bolton)
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