At a classical music concert in the 17th-century Schloss Eggenberg one fall evening, I found my eyes wandering skywards at the ceiling, where paintings of mythological figures swirled above my head.
Apologies to the musicians for a momentary lapse of attention, but it's not often you get to attend a concert in such a grandiose setting. Between the twinkling chandeliers and the ornate stucco decoration bordering the wall, and ceiling paintings depicting the planets and the signs of the zodiac, I didn't know where to look.
There are 24 state rooms in the castle, but none compare to the Planetary Room, which is ranked among the most impressive examples of early Baroque interior decoration in Central Europe.
Yet, Schloss Eggenberg -- with 24 state rooms that can be visited on a guided tour -- is much more than a castle.
Named for its builder Duke Hans Ulrich of Eggenberg (1568-1634), a central figure at the Imperial court and close confidant of Emperor Ferdinand II, it's also a treasure trove of artistic wealth -- 500 years of Austrian and European art history, including 300 paintings and sculptures.
There's also a sprawling park and garden outside.
Last month, not surprisingly, Schloss Eggenberg was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle and its gardens were singled out for their "architectural and structural integrity," and the "excellent" baroque interior on the first floor. The designation is an extension of the UNESCO heritage status bestowed on the historic centre of Graz in 1999.
I've visited many palaces and castles in my travels but never one that was constructed with the lofty aim of incorporating the universe. The castle has 365 outside windows, which correspond to the days of the year, and each floor has 31 rooms, which correspond to the days of the longest months.
The 24 state rooms represent the 24 hours of the day, 12 on each side for the 12 daytime and 12 nighttime hours. And there's more. The 24 rooms have a total of 52 windows representing the weeks of the year. Add the eight windows in the Planetary Room and you get 60, which corresponds to the number of seconds in a minute and the number of minutes in an hour. The four corner towers were built to represent the four seasons and the four cardinal directions.
Why such strict adherence to numeric symbolism? According to a pamphlet I was given, the great calendar dispute was in full tilt at the time of the castle's construction, and the start of the Gregorian calendar reform in 1582 had not yet come to an end.
But there was more to the layout than an obsession with the calendar theme. The Duke wanted a castle that expressed his powerful position. It was to replicate all that the universe embodied, including a sense of cosmic harmony, an ideal around which the original Planet Garden was created.
Others may discover a utopia, of sorts, in the collection of the Alte Galerie, which visitors enter through a 13th-century Friesach Sacristy Door.
There are plenty of works by Old Masters such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Bartholomaus Spranger and Johann Georg Platzer.
One famous piece is the Admont Madonna -- a wooden sculpture of the High Gothic age circa 1260 -- said to be among the most important museum pieces in Austria.
Elsewhere, there's an archeological collection dedicated to the period of Roman history in Styria; pre and early history exhibits, include the oldest artefact of Styria -- a 10,000 year old, richly engraved stag's tine from Gratkorn; and a 17th-century Japanese folding screen with scenes of Osaka that survived unrecognized for more than 250 years as a wall decoration.
To this day, Schloss Eggenberg, located 4 km from the city centre of Graz, is surrounded by parkland and backed by thick forest, with no sign of modern construction nearby. It's as if the castle remains untouched by 385 years of history.
For more information on travel to Austria, see austria.info/us or graztourismus.at and click on the icon for English.
writer@interlog.com
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