Schloss Eggenberg

About the museum

Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg, governor of Inner Austria and one of the most influential politicians at the imperial court, had the medieval family seat on the western edge of Graz converted from 1625 into a stately residence by the court architect Giovanni Pietro de Pomis. The complex was conceived as a symbolic image of the universe. The furnishing of the piano nobile with the Planetary Room was only completed under his grandson Johann Seyfried in 1685.

After the male line of the Eggenbergs died out, Maria Eleonora von Eggenberg and her husband Johann Leopold, Count Herberstein, had the rooms renewed in the Rococo taste between 1754 and 1763; the East Asian cabinets and the palace church date from this period. Because the Herbersteins hardly lived in the palace afterwards, the interiors remained almost unchanged for more than a century. At the beginning of the 19th century the Baroque garden was transformed into an English landscape park.

In 1939 the Province of Styria bought the palace. After war damage and restoration it passed to the Joanneum provincial museum in 1948 and opened as a Baroque museum in 1953. Since then it has become the home of the Joanneum's older collections: the Old Gallery moved in in 2005, the Coin Cabinet followed in 2007, and the new Archaeology Museum building in the park in 2009. Since 2010 Schloss Eggenberg, together with Graz's old town, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Highlights

• Planetary Room and 24 state rooms with over 500 ceiling paintings (guided tour only)
• Landscape park with Planetary Garden and Rose Hill
• Old Gallery with art from the Middle Ages to the Baroque
• Archaeology Museum with the Strettweg Cult Wagon and the Kleinklein Mask
• Coin Cabinet on the history of Styrian coinage
• Candlelight tours on selected evenings

Permanent exhibitions

• Prunkräume und Planetensaal – Tour through 24 almost completely preserved Baroque and Rococo rooms with the Planetary Room at their centre; guided tour only.
• Alte Galerie – Paintings and sculptures from the Middle Ages to the end of the Baroque, including important works of Austrian Gothic art.
• Archäologiemuseum – Around 1,200 finds from Styria, antiquity and Egypt, including the Hallstatt-period Strettweg Cult Wagon and the Kleinklein Mask.

Founded

1953

Operated by

Universalmuseum Joanneum GmbH

Director

Paul Schuster

Admission & discounts

Free admission: National Day (26 October): free admission

The site ticket is valid for one calendar day for the Old Gallery, Coin Cabinet, Archaeology Museum and palace park; the state rooms can only be visited on a guided tour for an additional fee. Discounts, among others, with the Ö1 Club card, ÖAMTC membership and Bühnen Graz Card; the Steiermark-Card and Graz Card are valid. Free admission with the Kulturpass "Hunger auf Kunst & Kultur". Drei KulturSonntag: two tickets for the price of one on Sundays.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

From the park entrance, a lightly gravelled path about 300 m long leads to the palace; with a disability pass, access by taxi or car right up to the palace is possible after registering at the park ticket office. The historic floors are not easy to navigate by wheelchair everywhere; staff will help. Wheelchair loan free of charge at the ticket office. In the Archaeology Museum, a "quiet hour" with dimmed lighting takes place on Fridays 5–6 pm; sensory bags are free of charge.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities: not available

Family programme "Rabenspaß" on selected dates in the state rooms, gardens and the museums in the palace; candlelight tour "Nachts im Schloss" for children aged 6 to 10 accompanied by an adult; children's podcast "Eggenberger Ohrwürmchen". In the park, picnics only in the designated area, no dogs (except assistance dogs), no bicycles or scooters.

Getting there & parking

Satnav address: Eggenberger Allee 90, 8020 Graz. From the park entrance it is about 300 m to the palace.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Coffee & Haus in the café pavilion (in season Tuesday–Sunday 10 am–6 pm). Shop with books, garden accessories and gifts, open during museum hours.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 1,000 guests.

Via "Joanneum to rent": forecourt (up to 1,000 people standing), Planetary Garden, Herrschaftsgartel with gazebo, palace church (also for weddings) and Archaeology Museum.

Plan your visit