The Rose Mound

In 1835, the Baroque garden terrace on the east side of the Palace had to make way for an artificial hill, which was set to become the most glorious attraction of the new gardens, however, Jérôme Herberstein's favourite project soon met with protest among the people of Graz who enjoyed promenading there.

Created as a vantage point with views over the pleasure garden, the "rose mound" also blossomed into a new masterpiece of gardening. A winding path led through dense rose bushes and conifers right up to the summit where a Chinese-style "parasol" provided shade for a rest bench. The Rose Mound remained the biggest attraction at the garden in Eggenberg for many decades to come and was even extended in 1855. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that roses and "parasol" disappeared. After the Second World War, evergreen fir trees were planted and soon grew into a dense forest completely obscuring all views of the park, which meant that the former Rose Mound was no longer noticed by the public and also no longer accessible for promenading.
 

After two years of intensive research and discussions with international colleagues, a detailed reconstruction of the Rose Mound was undertaken in the winter of 2007/8 and since May 2008 this poetic Biedermeier flower paradise has been finally restored to its former glory with some 300 historic roses, 400 conifers, 2,500 shrubs and about 4,000 bulbs.