The story of Eggenberg Castle, Graz

On the western edge of Graz, stands the most important Baroque palace in Styria. It tells the rise of the Eggenbergs, once the most powerful family in the region. Before 1460 Balthasar Eggenberger, financier to Emperor Frederick III and holder of the imperial right to mint coins, bought land here, and the family built its seat.

At first glance the palace looks like a single, new building of the 17th century, but large parts date back to the late Middle Ages. In 2010 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage listing of Graz's historic old town. Today it also houses collections of the Universalmuseum Joanneum.

On the ground floor, a coin collection fills the rooms of Balthasar Eggenberger himself; upstairs, the Alte Galerie shows five centuries of European art from the Middle Ages onwards. In the park, look for the Planetary Garden and a new archaeology museum, home of the famous Cult Wagon of Strettweg.