Excursion to Graz #6

The Schlossberg is located in the very city center of Graz. The city owes its name to the castle, which was built in the 16th century on this hill. From the Slavonic word Gradec for "little castle" later emerged Graz. After a victory over the Habsburgs in 1809, Napoleon demanded the demolition of the fortress. A huge amount of money paid to the French by the burghers of Graz could prevent the Clock Tower (in this photo) and the Bell Tower from being destroyed. The Clock Tower is a recognisable icon for the city, and there's a special thing about it: the clock's hands have opposite roles to the common notion, with the larger one marking hours while the smaller is for minutes.

Excursion to Graz #5

The construction of the "Landhaus" started in 1557. The prestigious building for the Styrian estates was designed by the Italian architect Domenico dell’Allio, even today it is the seat of the regional government of Graz. The building has a beautiful Renaissance-style arcaded courtyard.  

Excursion to Graz #4

The State Apartments of Eggenberg Palace are a series of seven interconnecting rooms, decorated with red silk damask and matching white-gilt seating.

Excursion to Graz #3

The Bel Étage of Eggenberg Palace has remained almost unchanged since the 18th century. Furnished with original 17th and 18th century designs, furniture, tapestries and decorations, the circle of 24 state rooms is among the most significant ensembles in Austria. The highlight of the state rooms is the Planetary Room, completed in 1685. The name derives from the cycle of paintings by the court artist Hans Adam Weissenkircher. With its complex artistic programme, which merged astrological and hermetical ideas, number symbolism and family mythology to form a complex allegory to glorify the Eggenberg dynasty, the Planetary Room is ranked among the most impressive pieces of early Baroque interior decoration in Central Europe. 

Excursion to Graz #2

Eggenberg Palace was built post-1625 by Italian architect and artist Pietro de Pomis as a residence for the imperial governor Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg. The edifice was designed as a huge allegory, a symbolic representation of the universe, where the erudite client set out his notion of an ideal world in an age of chaos and disintegration.

Excursion to Graz #1

This week I take you to Graz, the capital of the federal state of Styria and Austria's second largest city where I spent the weekend before last. Let's start our tour with the city hall: It was designed by the Viennese architects Alexander Wielemans von Monteforte and Theodor Reuter and completed in 1893. In the 20th century the main facade was radically simplified.

A Distinct Vision

On Saturday I made an excursion to Graz to see an exhibition of American photographer Greg Gorman (*1949). "A distinct Vision" shows some 220 photographs (portraits and nudes), displayed for the first time in Europe. The exhibition takes place in former industrial premises which are due to be demolished in early 2012. I loved the contrast of this special location and the well staged photographs.

2nd Sunday of Advent

With this photo I´m breaking the rules as it wasn´t taken in Vienna but in Graz (the capital of the federal state of Styria). It shows a life-sized nativity scene made out 50 tons of ice, located in the Landhaus courtyard. The unveiling of this ice sculpture one week ago marked the start of the Advent season. Click here for a short video.