Landhaus Courtyard

What a perfect place for a celebration! This thought comes to mind when entering the Landhaushof in Graz. In the Renaissance world of this inviting locale, colorful images of celebrating people immediately spring to life in the mind's eye. During the warm season, flowers adorn the magnificent arcades, and in Advent, the famous ice nativity scene finds a fitting setting here. In between, concerts, theater performances, and indeed festivities of all kinds take place in the splendid atmosphere of the courtyard in the Landhaus.

Our tip: Stroll "Old Town Tour through the World Heritage Site Graz"

A piece of Northern Italy right in Graz's Herrengasse? The Landhaus resembles a Venetian palazzo. Starting in 1557, the Italian master builder Domenico dell' Allio erected a representative building for the estates of Styria. Even today, the representatives of the Styrian state parliament convene here.

Not only is the facade of the building impressive; especially the arcade courtyard in the Renaissance style leaves visitors in awe. At the end of the 15th century, the Styrian estates decided to hold their regional parliaments not in various castles and monasteries but in a specially built Landhaus in the capital Graz.

The original small "chancellery" was expanded in the 16th century by "Welsche" (Italian) builders into the largest building complex of the old town. Domenico dell' Allio, who came to Graz as a fortress builder from Northern Italy and was also responsible for the expansion of the Schlossberg fortress, erected the main wing on Herrengasse and the magnificent inner courtyard starting in 1557.

Admiration and wonder seize those who enter the spacious Landhaushof for the first time. Arcaded walkways spanning three stories, copper roof gargoyles from the 16th century, the bronze-cast gazebo – a masterpiece of Mannerism. It is now well known not only to the residents of Graz that celebrations, concerts, film screenings, and the Advent ice nativity scene offer a special experience in this setting. Inside the Landhaus, the baroque styled rooms impress.

The Landstube features a stucco ceiling adorned with figures and coats of arms by Johann Angelo Formentini, topped with two stoves featuring coat-of-arms animals - the Austrian eagle and the Styrian panther. The knight's hall, whose stucco ceiling also showcases the zodiac signs with great attention to detail. And then there is the Landhaus chapel, built in 1630/31. After the expulsion of the Protestant nobility in 1629, it symbolizes the return of Catholicism to the Landhaus with its black-and-gold framed altar in the style of Jesuit Baroque, the altar painting "The Assumption of Mary," and the two statues of Saints Catherine and Barbara.

By the way: Since 1588, "rumor boards" at the two entrances to the Landhaus prohibit making noise in the building, drawing swords, daggers, or bread knives, wrestling, and fighting. Instead, one should behave modestly here in words and deeds; otherwise, punishment is meted out to body and life. The rules of conduct still hang here to this day. Thus, those representatives convening in this building surely adhere to them...