We are a department of the Universalmuseum Joanneum which looks after Schloss Eggenberg and its park as well as the collections of the Alte Galerie.

Schloss Eggenberg is a fascinating synthesis of the arts ranging from the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment. As a UNESCO world heritage site, it serves as a place of encounter between national and world history.

Here, architecture and accoutrements combine to create a symbolic representation of the universe, an artistic microcosm built to enhance the prestige of the Eggenberg family. The palace is home to a precious ensemble of historic interiors featuring an important cycle of over 500 ceiling paintings. It represents both a panorama of universal history and mirror of virtue in the spirit of the Baroque. Rooms and interiors have been preserved virtually unaltered. Here, the furnishings phases of the 17th and 18th centuries stand united in a precious ensemble offering a particularly intriguing experience.

Today, the palace is set in a large landscape park dating back to the Romantic period. With its precious trees, it is one of the most important gardens in the country. The park serves as a refuge for peace and relaxation and is a valuable area of conservation and recreation within the city.

This melding of culture and nature makes Schloss Eggenberg a very special museum location; it is a place for people who believe that culture and nature are essential in life.

We look after a very special place

Schloss Eggenberg is not just a stately home. It is also a place where important chapters of the history of this country were written. We want this place to live on. That’s why we protect the gardens, buildings and precious collections they house. We are trying to keep them as unchanged as possible for future generations. Only in this way can they continue to tell their story.

Consequently, we have a great responsibility – not only to preserve this historic building, but also to uphold the history that lives in it.

Keeping history alive 

Our collections preserve testimonies from many centuries and many spheres of life. They reflect events of world significance alongside the hardships of everyday life; grand world theatre is contrasted with fleeting trivialities. We also keep this history alive by constantly researching and tapping into new sources.

We welcome people and enable encounters. Our aim is to inspire and thrill our visitors. We encourage people to make their own discoveries, to find links with their own lives and form their personal opinions.

Whether tangible or intangible, the things entrusted to our care are fragile. So it’s important for us to follow some basic principles.

Guardianship

We live for the future, not just for the past. Our task is to give the collections entrusted to us a future that is just as important as their past. That’s why we strive to preserve them in accordance with the standards they deserve, meaning only the highest possible.

Openness

History is not some immutable set of facts: it must always be rediscovered, reviewed and discussed. We try to provide a suitable platform for doing so.

Discovery

We do our best to provide our visitors with a wide range of interesting topics and themes, but ultimately our goal is to encourage them to gather their own experiences and discover things that are essential to them on a personal level.

Joy

We appreciate the privilege of our unique task to care for the most precious cultural heritage site in the region. That’s why we’d like to share our enjoyment of this work with as many people as possible.

Equality

Schloss Eggenberg still represents a felicitous juncture of culture and nature. We do our utmost to maintain this balance and assign equal priority to each field by protecting artefacts with the same care as we nurture plants, trees and wildlife habitats.

Cooperation

We are aware that we act on behalf of society and work to preserve these buildings and collections for others. That’s why we are constantly working to develop and make them accessible to all as best we can. In a constructive dialogue with our visitors, we are devising new ways to offer a wide range of exhibitions and programmes capable of meeting different interests, requirements and personal preferences.