Attems Palace

Exterior

The U-shaped, block-like building with four stories encloses an almost square inner courtyard. The Baroque facade is richly decorated with stucco by Domenico Boscho on both the street side and in the inner courtyard. The facade design was influenced by Upper Italian palace buildings. Both street fronts serve as representative facades. The lower half-stories have been combined into a plinth zone and feature windows with rusticated stone frames. On the two upper stories, the windows are adorned with eyebrow arch pediments and stucco-decorated vases. The upper facade stories are separated from the lower zone by Ionic and composite pilasters, between which a string course runs.

On the "Sackstraße" side, a massive rusticated round-arch stone portal stands out. It is flanked by rusticated pillars. In the keystone of the portal, a sandstone alliance coat of arms of the Attems and Wurmbrand families is affixed. It represents the union of the builder Count Ignaz Maria Attems with his first wife, Countess Maria Regina Wurmbrand. Above the coat of arms is a balcony with a stone balustrade featuring figural representations. The carved gate wings with their fittings date from the construction period. The gate is topped by a wrought-iron transom grille in tendril form. The equally wrought-iron window grilles date from the mid-18th century.

Interior Decoration

The interior rooms were furnished in three phases. Under the overall direction of Domenico Boscho, the ceiling stucco work was executed starting in 1706. His patron was Count Ignaz Maria I Attems. After 1702, Franz Carl Remp and his assistants painted the ceiling and supraporte paintings, as well as several secco paintings. By around 1710, the first phase of decoration was completed.

Under Count Franz Dismas Attems and his son Ignaz Maria II, the wall panelings and tiled stoves were crafted according to designs by Josef Hueber. In the third phase, under Count Ferdinand Attems, Josephinian-Classical carved decorations were applied to the wall panelings and tiled stoves.

In all rooms of the two upper stories, ceiling stucco decorations transitioning from acanthus and foliage to strapwork ornamentation are visible. Additionally, the stucco is adorned with gold, silver, and copper overlays. The ceiling and supraporte paintings contain depictions from the Old Testament and ancient mythological motifs. The pieces of the extensive art collection were lost in the post-war period.

Ground Floor

Through the portal, one reaches a two-bay vestibule, whose ceiling is adorned with delicate strapwork and foliage stucco. To the sides, two staircases with openwork stone balustrades and lanterns on stone posts lead to the upper floors. After the entrance, to the right and left are stone gates with pairs of putti holding vases, made of stucco. The ground floor rooms are richly decorated with stucco, some in the shell style. In the east wing, the narrow stairwell with a two-armed staircase is particularly noteworthy.

First Floor

The first floor formerly served as the bel étage for representative purposes; the magnificent rooms there belong "among the most beautiful [...] that Austrian Baroque achieved at this stylistic level." The paintings by Franz Carl Remp also contribute to this, depicting motifs from the Bible and antiquity as well as allegorical allusions to the Attems family. For example, in the antechamber, a ceiling fresco depicting the apotheosis of the House of Attems can be seen. The "State Room" is equipped with numerous wall and ceiling paintings. It also contains five tapestries from Heinrich Reydams' Brussels manufactory and a tiled stove with relief ornamentation. The so-called "Fireplace Room" is adorned with numerous depictions of mythological figures.

Second Floor

The second floor initially housed the family's living quarters, later converted into a library and a painting gallery. Towards the end of World War II, a large part of the rich furnishings was lost, including Styria's largest private painting collection. Among the rooms worth seeing are the "Grand Salon" with magnificent ceiling paintings, also known as the "Monkey Room." It features grotesque paintings with exotic figures and landscape depictions. Half-plastic bronze monkeys protrude from the ceiling. The ceiling painting, depicting Apollo and Abundantia in the circle of arts and sciences, is framed by eight medallions. The adjacent "Bird Room" is rich in scenes from Greek mythology. It received its name due to the depictions of birds of all kinds.