At the end of the Mikó400 series of events, we chose as April's object of the month, a symbol of closure: the 17th century lock and key, discovered during the archaeological researches at the Mikó Castle. Together with other metal objects, the lock and the corresponding key were found in a very charred layer, which is supposed to have incinerated during the Turkish-Tartar siege of 1661, when the Mikó Castle was burned down. It is a rectangular wrought iron mechanical lock. The key is relatively large, with a ring handle, broken in the lock.
Many believe that in the Middle Ages, locks and latches similar to those of today were opened and closed with keys decorated with feathers. However, we must know that these well-known locks appeared only in the 18th century, and until then locks with a much "simpler" mechanism were used, which nevertheless worked on a similar principle.
Keys and locks often appear in paintings and depictions of the ancient Greeks and Romans, especially since at that time the key was also a symbol of social status. Back then, a key worn in plain view, hanging on a belt or around the neck, symbolized wealth and showed that "a burglary in my house would be in vain, my valuables are being protected".
In the Middle Ages, padlocks and keyed locks became more and more popular, more and more ornated and with an increasingly complicated structure, the keys took on more and more complex shapes and also their miniaturization has started, keys of all shapes being encountered: from those of the size of the palm to the very small ones, of a few millimetres. However, due to the strict rules of the guild and the professional jealousy of the craftsmen, the secret of making locks was divulged only to the privileged few. In order to study the structure, even at that time it was practiced to disassemble the locks, thus only those who had the privilege of working next to the craftsmen could learn the tricks of the trade.
Padlocks were used to lock both doors and chests.
The 17th century lock and key can be viewed at the museum's ticket office from Tuesday to Sunday, daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
