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Things to do in Graz
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Eggenberg Palace/Schloss Eggenberg
One of the most fantastic places to
visit in Graz, Austria is the Schloss Eggenberg, or in English,
the Eggenberg Palace. Created in the latter part of the 15th
century, this marvelous structure is a vision to behold and
enjoy. It is considered the most significant Baroque palace
compound in Styria. With many preserved materials, beautiful
gardens, and exquisite collections that are housed in this
majestic palace; plus the Universal Museum Joanneum that is held
in the compound. The magnificent castle is one of the most
valuable assets of the nation, and the castle's construction and
materials showcase the changes and encouragement of the
strongest dynasty in the region, the House of Eggenberg. The
complex sits on the western edge of Graz, the capital city of
Styria, with extravagant gardens, and the spectacular castle
state rooms. While here, you have the chance to enjoy other
incredible collections and attractions. The north end of the
compound contains the Planetary Garden and Lapidarium of Roman
stonework, plus the front entry into the new Archeological
Museum that contains the Cult Wagon of Strettweg; an
unbelievable creation from the 7th century. There is also a
wonderful collection of coins that reside in the imperial
minting rooms of Balthasar Eggenberger, that are from the late
15th century; as well as the show collection of Alte Galerie ,
that are from the 15th to 18th centuries. Upon arriving at the
extremely awesome looking palace, it would seen that it had
recently been built, perhaps as late as the 17th century,
however, some areas of the structure itself were constructed as
early as the 15th century and construction continued on into the
18th century. Balthsar Eggenberger was the financier of
Frederick III, the Holy Roman Emperor, purchased this land in
the western part of Graz where his family continued to consider
this palace their noble residence. In 1470, the square Gothic
chapel had been constructed which eventually became the
centerpiece to the entire complex. Later the young cousin of
General Ruprecht von Eggenberger, Hans Ulrich, became an
influential diplomat and statesman to the Emperor, Ferdinand II.
His opposite in the French court was Cardinal Richelieu who was
the advisor to King Louis XIII; while they were at war with each
other during the Thirty Years War. This war was fought mostly in
Germany, during the 1618 through 1648 period, and at different
times included most of the countries of Europe. The war
continued on the oceans, and did actually help shape the
colonialization of the new world. No one is sure today why or
how it started, although most presume it was the protestants
fighting the Catholics of the Holy Roman Empire; eventually
becoming more of a territorial conflict that involved the French
and the Hapsburg dynasty. Hans Ulrich became the personal
confidant of Ferdinand II and soon he wanted an elaborate home
that showcased his imperial status and influence, as he became
the Governor of Inner Austria; while the emperor made Vienna his
personal capital. In 1625, Prince Hans had the court architect,
Giovanni Pietro de Pomis design his new palace that was inspired
by El Escorial in Spain. Giovanni was a master architect,
medalist and painter, from the Milan area in Italy and soon he
was the most prominent artist in the courts. He incorporated the
original structure into his new plans, and was the main
constructionist on the palace until he died in 1631. Then master
fortress builder Laurenz van de Syppe finished the construction
in two more years. Although it was only the shell, during the
next 10 years, the ornate decorations were completed. In 1666,
Johann Seyfried von Eggenberger, the grandson of Hans Ulrich,
added more embellishments to the palace to complete its Baroque
grandeur. The complex was again thrown into the forefront of
politics in 1673, when Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Tyrol,
was married there to the new Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I.
During those years that followed, Prince Johann had the ceilings
covered with ravishing paintings in the rooms of the piano
nobile, that took 7 years and when done contained over 600
paintings. Then Hans Adam Weissenkircher became the court
painter at the palace in 1678, and painted the main hall and
renown Planetary Room finishing by 1684/5 and the first phase of
the accouterments had been finished. Then, strangely, the
male line of the Eggenbergers died out, and the palace became
neglected until the last Eggenberger princess, married Johann
Leopold Count Herberstein and had a voracious renovation of the
palace done. During the years 1754 and 1762, the structure and
gardens were continued to be decorated, and this time was done
in Rococo, a French style that made the entire room a work of
art complete with extravagant furnishings. The paintings in the
piano nobile were updated, while the planetary room and all the
ceilings stayed the same. Wall decorations, pieces of furniture
and stoves were also updated or modernized, with 3 east Asian
cabinets imported and the state rooms received new wall
coverings. The biggest change done was the demolition of the
theater room, which was replaced with a baroque church; all done
under the supervision of Joseph Huber, a student of Johann Lukas
von Hildebrandt, an Italian trained Austrian architect. The
palace is one of the most amazing castles in Europe and the
works of art that reside here only enhance the beauty and
ornateness of the structure. It is a place that must be visited
in Austria, if no other attractions or places are to be seen.
The vast amount of exquisite treasures is one of the best in all
of Europe. There are four huge towers that represent the
elements of the earth, 24 reception rooms that represent the
hours of the day, and there are 365 windows in the palace that
represent the days of the year.
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Euro Collectable Silver and Gold
Coins Collection
The Schloss Eggenberg was
honored in 2002, by the Austrian mint, when it was used as a
motif on one of its most popular collectors coins in the Euro
gold and silver commerative coins. This series included the 10
euro Eggenberg Palace coin, made of silver, being a part of the
"Austria and her people" collection. These are called Vienna
Philharmonic Coins and are made every year with four different
weights, sizes and values. It was created to be used as an
investment tool and the World Gold Council said that it is the
most widely sold coin in the world during the years 1992, 1995
and 1996; and in 2008 was struck in silver. It is valued in
Euros, the European countries money, but can only be used as
legal tender in Austria. All of these coins are specially minted
for their respective countries, mostly in gold and silver, but
other precious metals have been used. Austria was one of the
first to mint these new coins after the formation of the union,
and this was in January, 2002. The mint makes two kinds of
coins, the ones that are for circulation, and the collector's
series. The commerative coins are the ones that can be used for
legal tender in Austria only, although in today's market place,
the material the coins are made of would not hinder anyone from
taking them in return for commodities. These coins are in
big demand now with the fluctuations of the world's economy, and
the lack of confidence in the banks of the world. The coins are
more valuable if melted down, but are kept for safekeeping or
investments. The silver coins are being sold faster than they
can be made, while the gold coins are just keeping up. They are
made with purest metals possible and will last longer than any
paper or other coinage today, with such a high demand that it
seems almost impossible to be kept up with by the mint.
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Lurgrotte Cave
The Lurgrotte cave is the
biggest one in Austria, and is a waterflowing cave, that means
that water comes through here and in the past, some spelunkers
have been stranded by the flooding that occurs. The cave was
first found in 1894, on April 1st, by Max Brunello, an Italian
speleologist. His exploration started in the Semriach, since the
Peggau entry was blocked by flooded waters; which were stopped
by the construction of a drainage canal in 1913. Before that, in
1894, seven cave explorers were trapped because a downpour
flooded the cave, and it was 9 days later, with a 1000 people
helping that they were rescued. There are two entries, one in
Peggau and the other in Semriach, with the Semriach being
private since they are both owned by different businesses. In
1935, the cave was crossed by explorers for the first time,
taking them 18 hours to complete the approximately 9 mile
stretch. For the next twenty years, the cave was excavated and
the time it would take to walk the entire length was down to
some 3 or 4 hours. Unfortunately, the worst flood in a century
destroyed much of the work in 1975. In the country of Austria,
there are approximately 10,000 caves, with 4500 of them in
Styria, however, only 10 can be visited and viewed at this time.
There is about a mile and a half area in the cave today that can
be toured, taking an hour or so to complete. All along the path
are electric lights, and the constant temperature is 50 degrees
Fahrenheit, with a 95% humidity. Tour groups are small in the
winter, which is a good time to go since there aren't any rains
to worry about, and the temperature and condition of the cave
stays the same.
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