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The commission
Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg commissioned the palace in 1625
Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg steered the foreign policy of Emperor Ferdinand II. He asked the court architect Giovanni Pietro de Pomis to plan a new palace inspired by El Escorial in Spain, built around the old family residence.
A calendar
The palace is built as a calendar, with 365 windows
The palace has 365 exterior windows, one for each day of the year, and 52 of them are on the state rooms, for the weeks. The 24 state rooms stand for the hours, every floor has 31 rooms, and the four corner towers stand for the seasons.
365exterior windows, one for each day of the year
The festival hall
The Planetary Room shows the elements, the zodiac and seven planets
The cycle of 24 state rooms ends in the main festival hall, the Planetary Room. Hans Adam Weissenkircher finished its paintings in 1684/85. They show the four elements, the 12 signs of the Western zodiac and the seven classical planets.
The ceilings
About 600 ceiling paintings were completed in just 7 years
Under Prince Johann Seyfried the cycle of about 600 ceiling paintings in the piano nobile was accomplished in just 7 years. The scenes recall the history of the world, from Greek and Roman mythology to the Old Testament.
Reopened
The palace reopened to the public in 1953 after wartime damage
The Herberstein family owned the complex until 1939, when the state of Styria acquired it with the park. The Joanneum repaired the damage of World War II and the occupation by the Allies. The palace and park reopened in 1953.
Day 2, afternoon
It comes after Styrian Armoury.
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The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Eggenberg Palace, Graz, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.