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The Museo Nazionale del Bargello houses an internationally important collection of sculpture, textiles, armor and other decorative drawing on the whole of Florence's modern history, dating back to the beginnings of the Florentine Renaissance.

The Palazzo del Bargello was so named because in the 15th century it was the headquarters of the Captain of Justice who was known as Bargello. It is most important building after Palazzo Vecchio. Its structure is typically medieval with double and single mullioned windows which lighten the facade and surmounted by the Torre Volognana. For a time it became a prison and a place of executions.

The Armaments Room was where tortures took place and the scaffold was in the courtyard; the latter was burned at the end of the 18th century on the orders of the Grand Duke Leopold. At the centre of the courtyard is a lovely octagonal well, decorated with the crests of the rulers and the polychrome emblems of the city’s districts. The Bargelo Museum, inaugurated in 1865, has one of the most important collections of Renaissance sculpture in the world. In addition to the sculptures from the Uffizi, the museum has been enriched by donated collections including examples of the minor arts and applied arts such as arms, armor, jewelry and coins.

The most famous piece in the museum is Donatello's bronze David. The museum also prides itself on its highly representative selection of sculptural art from the Florentine Renaissance and the 16th century. Among the former are important works by Donatello and the Della Robbia family. Pieces by Michelangelo, Cellini and Gianbologna are also included. The collections of textile and decorative art are also impressive, as they incorporate three extensive late-19th century private collections: the Carrand (Renaissance and Gothic material culture, including medallions, mirrors and textiles), Ressman (arms and armor) and Franchetti (textiles) collections. A number of private donations have over the years raised the profile of the museum to international levels and equipped it with a significant number of valuable and interesting historical artifacts. The museum was opened in 1859, when the collection of sculpture and visual art was transferred from the Uffizi galleries. In 1865 it was declared a national museum and in the next couple of decades it managed to acquire several important collections of textiles and armor. The building itself is the oldest surviving seat of government in the city. It dates from 1255, when it was known as the Palazzo del Popolo. It was initially the residence of the Captain of the People, the elected supreme government officer, who was in charge for a year. Over the years it became the seat of a series of different public officials. It derives its present name from the 16th century, when it was the residence of the Bargello, the Captain of the Justice in charge of maintaining law and order in the city.

For more information visit

• http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it