Now we are stepping into one of the two major streets that flow out of Hauptplatz on the opposite side from Sackstrasse – Herrengasse. The name means “Gentlemen’s street”, due to the fact that, this being the main city street, it was the must-have address for everyone who was anyone in Graz. Mansions built by all those Herren have made Herrengasse, probably, the most exquisite street in Graz. Back in the day, the two streets strung together (Sackstrasse and Herrengasse) cut through the whole city in a straight line, from one city gate to another on the opposite side. This cutting-through did not come without sacrifices. When Herrengasse was laid out, it effectively destroyed the historic Jewish ghetto, which existed some place where the Church of the Holy Blood now is. Today, Herrengasse is still a major thoroughfare of the Old Town, with most of tourist sights located either right on this street or just 1-2 blocks off of it. So, when in Graz, you shouldn’t really miss it, especially that it makes for a very nice and entertaining stroll. By the way, a little tip – if you are in Graz and you need to take a tram somewhere, but you don’t know where to catch that specific tram, go to Herrengasse – literally all tram lines in Graz run through this street.
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We start from the spot where we finished in the previous gallery - at the very beginning of Herrengasse, where it flows out of Hauptplatz.The Herrengasse perspective. In the background you see Stadtpfarrkirche zum Heiligen Blut (Parish Church of the Holy Blood), and to the right - Grazer Landhaus (Styrian State Parliament). We will stop by them later.Walking few steps along the street and then looking back towards Hauptplatz. Note a fancy painted house in the middle.[Just playing with Photoshop here]This building is formally called Herzogshof, as in "Duke′s Court". But no one calls it this. It′s always called Gemaltes Haus ("Painted House").It was first mentioned in the documents in 1360, so it′s one of the oldest buildings in Graz. This is where the Dukes of Styria held their court back then, pronouncing verdicts and such. Once the Graz Castle was built in 1450, the Ducal Court moved there. We don′t really know if the Dukes actually lived in this residence.The paintings of Greek and Roman gods, which cover the entire façade of 220 m², were created long after the Dukes moved out, in 1742. Since then, they have been restored 4 times. These frescoes are the only ones of this type to have survived in Austria.A detail of the portal of a building right across the street from Gemaltes Haus - Café Sacher, home of the famous Sacher Torte ("Sacher Cake"). It′s actually a Vienna thing, but this is such an Austrian staple that these cakeshops exist all over the country. We will talk about it more, when we are in Vienna.A few steps further down the street we come to Hainrichspergisches Haus. [Don′t even try pronouncing that. I speak a little German, but sometimes even I feel that German-speaking people, the Austrians included, are so protective of their language that they make it very hard on purpose, so no one else even tries speaking it]. ⇨ ⇨ In this case, Hainrichsperg is the name of a place and of a noble family of von Hainrichspergs. Which one gave the name to the house, I don′t know. But look, here we have Madonna with the child again! The canopy above the statue is characteristic for Baroque style, whereas the rest of the facade, and the interiors of the building are Rococo.Hainrichspergisches Haus was built in 1500s, and is considered to be the best preserved Rococo town house in Graz. Since 1650, it has been home to Bärenapotheke ("Bear Pharmacy"). [Note Virgin Mary and baby Jesus from another angle].[As you′ve probably already figured, I love this trick - gold on black & white. Just bear with me. Got it? BEAR with me 😊]Turn around at Hainrichspergisches Haus, and on the other side of the street you will see Landhaus, the seat of the provincial parliament (Landtag). We will visit it in the next gallery, but for now just a few pics of the building from Herrengasse.Stepping a little back into the opposite side street called Stempfergasse, to show the central section of the Landhaus facade in full, the cute little turret and all. If you look closely you will notice the weathervane on the turret is in the shape of the Styrian panther (the figure from the Styrian coat of arms). Also, note a large black board on the wall in the lower right corner, behind the copyright. We will talk about it later.It′s the first Renaissance building in Graz, built in 1557. One way to tell this is Renaissance, is by those ornate arched windows, which are characteristic for this style. Renaissance was a very popular style in Styrian palace and castle construction of the 16th century.[This collage is showing those arched windows in 2004 and 2022].This section here is not technically Landhaus, it′s the Armory that is adjacent to the building. Before it was built in 1640s, weapons were stored in the Landhaus′s attic. When, because of the Turkish invasion, the arms production increased significantly and the attic became too small for the purpose, the custom-designed 5-storey armory was built next to the Landtag.The Armory′s portal is by far the most elaborate architectural feature in all of Herrengasse. The pediment bears Graz′s coat of arms (flames out of all orifices is how we know it′s not Styria, remember?), and the coats of arms of the distinguished citizens who played a pivotal role in creating the Armory. (A bit presumptuous, if you ask me.) The statues on the sides (covered here for the restoration in 2022, but visible in the previous image from 1995) are of Mars and Bellona, Roman god and goddess of war (duh!). Next to the Armory stands this stately palace. The grandiose façade with elaborate arched windows and intricate bas-reliefs, ... ⇨⇨ ... fancy oriels, and even a gilded statue of St. Florian in the corner niche obviously signify a home to an effluent noble family, or some rags-to-riches nouveau riche trying to make up for the lack of pedigree. Wrong. It′s an insurance company. Always was, and still is.The inscription above the front door attests to exactly that. It says that Archduke Johann of Austria (the dude whose statue we saw in Hauptplatz) founded the fire insurance company in 1829, which subsequently built these fancy headquarters here in 1894. St. Florian, whose statue we saw in the previous pic, is the patron saint of firefighters. The next stop on our walk along Herrengasse is Stadtpfarrkirche zum Heiligen Blut, which dominates the street′s skyline. Stadtpfarrkirche technically means "the city parish church", and that name comes from the times when the whole city was one single parish. Now it has 37.Back in 1585, the then parish church, St. Ägydius (now Graz′s Cathedral) was handed over to the Jesuit Order, and the city was in need of a new parish church. The closest one was Corporis Christi Chapel in a small Dominican monastery. The Dominicans were kicked out, and the chapel was proclaimed Church of the Holy Blood. In 1742 the church was rebuilt in the Baroque style, and in 1781 it got the new "gable tower", as they call it, with an elaborate copper dome.[This collage shows the tower in 1995 and 2022. Note, the clock face had been updated]. The Baroque facade is adorned by sculptures of 4 saints - John Nepomuk, Ivo of Kermartin, and Peter and Paul (two of which are shown here. No idea who exactly, take your pick). The interior is Gothic, and it has a painting, which is attributed to Tintoretto. It is behind the altar, and it depicts the Assumption of Mary. Drop in to see it, when you are in town.Tintoretto is not the only reason to actually enter the church. It also has a pretty singular stained-glass window. It shows the Passion of Christ, and among the crowd leering at Jesus are... Hitler and Mussolini. The stained glass was created in 1950 by a German artist Albert Birkle, whose art was declared "degenerate" in the Third Reich. And that was his revenge.The green building next to the church stands on the site of the former Dominican monastery, to which the old church belonged. Its courtyard still bears the elements of the monastery′s cloister.The building is adorned with the ubiquitous statue of Virgin Mary, this time without the child.Across the street from the church is a grey building called Alter Thonethof ("Old Thonethof"), a residential apartment building owned by the Thonet brothers (Thonethof means "Thonet Court").And next to the Old Thonethof is the New Thonethof (Neuer Thonethof). Even though both buildings were built almost simultaneously, just a few years apart.Stepping a little bit back into the adjacent Hans-Sachs-Gasse to see Neuer Thonethof better.Neuer Thonethof was built in the Neo-Baroque style. It′s when it′s all fancy whirls and twirls, but you know it′s all fake 😊. Tchibo is a German coffee brand. It′s ubiquitous in Austria. Along with their own coffee Julius Meinl.Neuer Thonethof and Kirche zum Heiligen Blut framing the entrance into Herrengasse from the other end, the square called Am Eisernen Tor ("At the Iron Gate").The name obviously means that there was an entrance into the city called "Iron Gate" at this spot. Why the gate was called so, we don′t know. It might be that weapons were stored inside the gatehouse, or that it was actually called Outer Gate, but with time the word "outer" got corrupted into "iron" (the two words sound similar in German).In any case, there is no gate anymore. But there is Mariensäule ("Marian Column"), a statue of Virgin Mary on the top of a column - a common feature in German-speaking lands. This specific Marian Column (also called the Turkish Column), was erected in commemoration of one of the battles during the Turkish invasion, and depicts the immaculate conception of Virgin Mary.Press ESC to exit
