Schloss Eggenberg, Graz

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An hours spent enjoying the castle grounds on a beautiful Autumnal day. There are museums and galleries inside but time was limited and outside was fantastic! Visited the planet garden and spotted more peacocks than I've ever seen at one time before I think!
Lovely place to visit, entrance to gardens (Oct 2010) just 1 Euro.

Eggenberg Castle is one of the largest and most beautiful castles of Styria. It was built in 1625 by Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg.

Eggenberg liked numbers.
Though the castle has 365 windows, one for every day of the year. Twice 12 large ceremonial rooms (24 hours of one day) with 52 windows (weeks), and four little towers (winds).
In the marvellous castle park live wild animals.
Most impressive - the Planetensaal (hall of planets) by Weissenkircher.

It is the most important castle in styria - and it serves its duty for a lot of cultural events these days. There are a lot of exhibitions from the Joanneum inside the castle to visit.

356 windows, 31 rooms per floor, 24 gorgeousness rooms with 52 doors and all in all 60 windows, 4 corner towers - allusions on the time, seasons, weks, days, hours and minutes...

really worth to visit...

open from the 30th of april until the 31st of october: tuesday to sunday from 10am until 5pm

It is said that there are 365 windows on the castle - one for each day of the year. I would've never noticed that, but I heard that interesting information from someone. I did love the game of shadows on a nice sunny day though. :)

Through this wonderful door, you step first in the wide park, decorated with statues among the centenerian trees.
In former times, there were Baroque gardens around the castle. It's restoration is aimed.

Eggenberg castle is 1 of the most beautiful palaces in Austria, dating from the 17th century. The premises have been owned by the royal Eggenberg family, with emperor Ferdinand II's chief minister as head of the family. It's a home to a prehistorical, early-history & a hunting museum. The façades of the castle are filled with ornaments almost like a mathematical equation. Everything looks so thoroughly planned. The castle with its surrounding park looks just like a painting, with every tree right where it's supposed to be.

On the western outskirts of Graz lies the Schloss Eggenberg. It was commissioned by Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg (1538-1634), chief minister of Emperor Ferdinand II. The layout and decorations of the building are patterned on an intricate mathematical and allegorical scheme — an architectonic image of the universe — strongly influenced by the visions of cosmic harmonies propounded by natural philosophers of the time such as Johannes Kepler and Giordano Bruno. It has to be the most beautiful palace in the region.

You can visit the palace's State Rooms and also see a nice coin collection as well as museums of early history and Roman and ancient collections.

When I visited Schloss Eggenberg in June 2003, there was an interesting exhibit called Tower of Babel, looking at the challenge of communications through the ages. This exhibit was part of the year's events in Graz as Europe's Capital of Culture.

Supposedly there are 365 windows at the palace, one for each day of the year. I didn't bother to count!

Please see my Travelogue for more pictures of the palace and the Tower of Babel exhibition.

Its the biggest residence in Styria!
Its situated in 1625, it has 4 towers to symbolize 4 seasons, 12 gates for 12 months and 365 windows for 365 days in one year.
Its wonderful to walk in the garden - its magnificent!!! Theres a place for childrens, cafeteria in summer-house and a park with deers? and a place where u may show your thoughts and moods through music...

A different view for every day of the year: 365 windows! Construction of the biggest, most luscious stately home in the province was commenced in 1625 after the style of mannerism. Inside, you will be enthralled by the Baroque and Rococo. Today, the château Eggenberg is a venue for numerous music events. The enormous park is just the job for a game of hide- and- seek.