Attractions & Landmarks In Bad Radkersburg
Reputable for its historic value, architectural beauty, and wellness services is Bad Radkersburg. Beautiful buildings and squares in Bad Radkersburg add to its southern charm and draw tourists for shopping, leisurely strolls, and outdoor activities. Significantly, it was awarded the European gold medal for monument protection.
A popular spa resort, the town’s moderate Mediterranean environment and mineral-rich thermal water provide health advantages backed by scientific research. Using natural products, the Vita med health center at Parktherme offers massages and care treatments meant to enhance general well-being.
Bicyclists, runners, walkers, and hikers will find Bad Radkersburg appealing because of its picturesque routes, such as Murradweg and Eurovelo 9. Accompanying the UNESCO biosphere area are wineries and charming golf courses. Relaxing in Parktherme’s thermal water is advised after exercise, then indulging in local specialties and wines at pubs.
Markers of the town’s architectural history, which ranges from Romanesque to Art Nouveau, include the Rathausturm, the Catholic parish church, and Palais Herberstorff. The oldest secular frescoes in Austria are located in Pistor Barracks, as is the Marian column honoring the pandemic. The history of the city is displayed at the regional museum located in the former armory building.
Parktherme Bad Radkersburg
Luxurious thermal bath and spa park Parktherme Bad Radkersburg is situated in the breathtaking Styrian thermal and volcanic region.
With origins in 1978, when the thermal spring was painstakingly drilled, Parktherme offers waters that come from a depth of two kilometers. Enhanced with isotonic sodium bicarbonate and possessing an amazing mineralization of 8,000 mg, these therapeutic waters provide a revitalising sensation at 80 degrees.
Services and attractions it provides include:
- A 34 to 36 °C thermal water pool, which flows from a depth of almost two kilometers and has a high mineral content.
- A diverse sauna village with eight different saunas, including the wine cellar sauna.
- A 50-meter outdoor sports pool and a free activity and vitality program.
- A natural park landscape with scenic views of the castle and the river.
- An adventure area for children with water attractions, a diving tower, and a family slide.
- A Vitalstudio with massages and cosmetic treatments.
- A Parktherme restaurant with seasonal and regional delicacies.
Parktherme Bad Radkersburg has won several awards as Austria’s Thermal Spa of the Year. It is open daily from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. It is located at Alfred Merlini-Allee 7, Bad Radkersburg, 8490. The phone number is 03476 26770.
Bad Radkersburg Town Hall
Situated majestically at the crossroads of Langgasse and Hauptplatz, the town hall is maybe the most visually arresting feature in the town. A painful reminder of the town’s past as a border town impacted by wars, the town hall with its unique octagonal clock tower is also a stunning specimen of architecture.
The Construction and Reconstruction of the Town Hall
When the town hall was constructed, in the 15th and 17th centuries, Bad Radkersburg was a thriving commercial hub and a vital Habsburg outpost. The town hall’s façade was remodeled in the 19th century to give it a more classical look after it was first built in the Gothic style.
Rising above the town hall’s roof, the octagonal clock tower is its most striking feature. Three late Gothic floors, from about 1500, make up the tower. Keel arches adorning these floors are backed by corner services and enhanced by a cantilevered gallery. A wrought-iron lattice in the gallery bears the year 1817, which is the year the Napoleonic Wars came to a conclusion and Austrian control was restored, together with the Styrian panther, a regional emblem.
Part of the town’s defenses, the tower performed the dual functions of a watchtower and a defense tower. The tower with its upper portion, a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture, was spared from the terrible fire that tore through the town in 1750. Rebuilding of the tower’s upper levels began in 1806, overseen by master builder Michael Schmidt. A magnificent imperial double-headed eagle, the emblem of the Habsburg Empire, was carved on the pommel of the baroque onion dome that topped the tower.
The Tower as a Memorial
In 1929, sculptor Hans Mauracher and architect Rudolf Hofer remodeled the tower’s outside. The tower came to represent the occasions that molded the town’s history during the 20th century. Three text panels erected on the tower honor World War I, the February 4, 1919, liberation struggle, and World War II. The local coat of arms, which is embellished with warrior heads and the Rufer, a bronze half-figure warrior that points toward the panels, is displayed next to the text panels. German for “the caller,” the Rufer represents the tenacity and energy of the community.
The World Wars soldiers are honored in two memorial halls located within the tower. Painter Fritz Silberbauer adorned the first room, which is on the first level, in 1928. The frescoes in the room show Radkersburg locals’ life following World War I. Scenes of agriculture, industry, education, culture, and rehabilitation are shown in the frescoes. Together with the flags of the nations that participated in the war, the chamber also has pictures of the mayors and other notable people of the town.
The same artist designed the second room, which is on the ground floor, in 1957. Mosaics throughout the room honour the valiant soldiers of World War II. Scenes of combat, resistance, incarceration, and release are shown in the mosaics. In the room is also a binder with a detailed list of everyone who died or vanished during the conflict. An iron cross bearing the years 1945 and 1939 marks the entrance to the tower room.
The Town Hall Today
Bad Radkersburg’s town hall is a useful structure that houses the town’s administration and a number of events in addition to being a historical monument. Visitors to the town hall can enjoy the tower, the memorial chambers, and the various rooms showcasing the history and culture of the town. Weddings, concerts, exhibitions and festivals are also held frequently at the town hall. A monument to the community’s past and tenacity, the town hall also represents its pride and identity.
Old town of Bad Radkersburg
Old Town Bad Radkersburg will charm you with its magnificent architecture, intriguing past, and vibrant energy. Bad Radkersburg, an old town, will captivate, beauty, and diversity you. While nonetheless taking in the conveniences and joys of the present, this location will give you the impression that you have travelled back in time. You will take away from that site priceless memories and impressions. Take advantage of this historic treasure and go on an engrossing historical tour of Bad Radkersburg.
Modernity and joie de vivre coexist in the historic town of Bad Radkersburg. With so many cafés, restaurants, stores, and cultural events, the old town is alive and well. The food there is good and has been influenced by Slovenia, Hungary, and Croatia, three of your neighbors. The region’s well-known sparkling water and wine are also available for tasting.
The Old Town's Attractions
Gorgeous houses, lovely facades, and quaint arcaded courtyards abound in Bad Radkersburg’s old town, which is a visual feast. The site of the old town was established as a border stronghold against the Hungarians in the thirteenth century. Later, it developed as a significant spa town and commercial hub that drew tourists from all across Europe.
The opulence of the Renaissance structures, created by the renowned master builder Domenico dell’Allio, is one of the most remarkable aspects of the old town. He was a visionary architect who, in the sixteenth century, gave the city its amazing current look. Among his constructions are the castle, the parish church, and the town hall.
The old town is surrounded by a mediaeval city wall that has been kept essentially intact. Four gates on the wall have individual histories and meanings. For instance, the city’s principal entry and the site of numerous conflicts was the Mur Gate, which faces the river. During the Turkish invasions, a little hole in the wall known as the Türkenloch, or Turkish Hole, was used to spy on the adversary.
The Old Town's Secrets
A site of mystery and intrigue in addition to beauty is the historic town of Bad Radkersburg. The fascinating guided tour of the old town will allow you to learn about the city’s rich history and culture as well as some of its myths and stories.
You may find out, for example, why Sporgasse was renamed Emmengasse and its relationship to the Swiss. A Swiss mercenary named Emme, so the story goes, fell in love with a local girl and stayed in the city. He painted a property he purchased in Sporgasse the colors of the Swiss flag. Unhappy about this, the residents began to refer to the street as Emmengasse, or Emme’s Lane.
The meaning of a Murnockerl, or Mur Pebble, is something else fascinating you can discover. Found in the river, these smooth stones are thought to have therapeutic qualities. Additionally used as gifts and mementos, they are supposed to bestow happiness and good fortune upon their bearers.
City Parish Church St. John the Baptist
Roman Catholic in affiliation, the City Parish Church St. John the Baptist is a monument to the town’s and the area’s rich past. Within the Diocese of Graz-Seckau, the church is a part of the Deanery of Radkersburg and has had multiple restorations and changes over the ages.
History of the Church
A record dated 1402, when the church was dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is the earliest reference of it. Still, given that section of the structure dates back to the 15th century, the church might have been founded earlier. Oberradkersburg, which is today in Slovenia, had an autonomous parish founded in the late 15th century. This division followed the 1545 demolishment of the Ruprechtskirche, a Romanesque church located where the town hall is now. Up to its transfer to the Diocese of Graz-Seckau in 1786, the parish of Bad Radkersburg was governed by the bishop of Salzburg.
Particularly the choir and tower, the Gothic pillar basilica of the fourteenth century saw late Gothic style changes. Most of the vault ribs were removed in the late 19th century, and the chancel vault was then rebuilt. In 1972, an interior renovation was completed; in 1980, an external restoration. 1983 saw the church granted the distinction of city parish church.
Architecture and Art of the Church
The western city wall dating back to the fourteenth century is expertly integrated with the west front of the founder church. Three naves and four bays make up this oldest part of the church. Stunning pillar arcades with a clerestory above them adorn the building’s center nave. Perched on a semi-circular wall, the clerestory is ornamented with pointed-arched lunettes. Renovations to the lower aisles followed a 16th-century fire. In the western bay of the northern aisle as well as the southern aisle, the star rib vaults have been meticulously preserved.
Built about 1400, the two-bay choir lies north of the axis. It joins to the nave in an eastern direction and has the shape of a five-eighth note. The choir, stair tower and sacristy were built by renowned Styrian Gothic master builder Johannes Aquila. Between the main entrance to the southern aisle and the chancel itself, on the corner, is a stair tower. Ruins of Johannes Aquila’s frescoes can be seen on the stair tower’s outside wall. Most likely representing either St. Wolfgang of Regensburg or St. Virgil of Salzburg, these frescoes show a hand holding a church edifice. There are writing snippets as well.
Three stepped levels are included into the design of the buttresses supporting the choir. A late Gothic bust of the constructor is on display outside the polygonal choir ending. A sacristy was also built in the choir’s northern corner about the year 1400. Beautifully carved Gothic session niche with blind arcades adorns the southern choir wall. Three pointed arch sacrament niches may be found at the back of the choir. There is a sacristy doorway with late Gothic door fittings and a keel arch on the choir’s northern side. Furthermore, the gallery, which displays the coats of arms of Bishops Matthias Scheit and Christoph von Zach, is accessible by a late Gothic staircase in the southern aisle.
Two other columns in the center nave support the organ loft, which is situated in the west bay and dates back to the eighteenth century. Niklas Wechsler is credited in an inscription from 1515 for building the front arch. The western tower has a square base floor with a pointed arch doorway supported by truss. Its eight-part tent ceiling and octagonal top floors are other features. On the west side were found two walled-up late Gothic tracery windows in 1972.
Beautifully carved figure canopies fashioned of Aflenzer sandstone from the early 16th century grace the main gateway of the southern aisle. Two saintly statues stand either side of the entrance, and a relief depicting Christ’s baptism rises above it. The former cemetery is now a park, accessed through the portal.
Inside and out, the church is covered with marble epitaphs and tombstones from the 15th to 18th century. Among the prominent burials are those of painter Johann Baptist Reiter and the aristocratic families of Stubenberg, Herberstein, and Trauttmansdorff.
Interior and Furnishings of the Church
The 1906 high altar, which dominates the church’s interior, prominently features the legendary Black Madonna of Czestochowa, an 18th-century miraculous picture. Polish priest who had fled the Russian onslaught transported the image to Bad Radkersburg. Four saintly statues—John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, Catherine of Alexandria, and Barbara of Nicomedia—round the portrait. Josef Adam Mölck painted the Last Supper and it is also on the altar.
Said to be one of the best specimens of Gothic wood carving in Styria, the late Gothic crucifix on the left dates to about 1510. Two statues of Mary and John, together with a Johann Baptist Reiter painting depicting the Crucifixion, surround the crucifix. A Baroque altar honouring St. Joseph on the right side features a Josef Adam Mölck picture of the Holy Family.
Other side altars in the church include those of St. Anne, St. Sebastian, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Francis Xavier. Additionally housed in the church are a neo-Gothic organ, a Baroque pulpit, a Rococo confession box, and a Gothic baptismal font.
A must-see for everyone visiting Bad Radkersburg, the church is full of artistic and historical gems. Daily hours of the church are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; guided tours are provided upon request. Along with holding many services and concerts, the church is a well-liked location for baptisms and weddings. A Gothic gem in the center of Styria, the church bears live witness to the faith and culture of the residents of Bad Radkersburg.
Stadtmuseum Bad Radkersburg
Housed in the historic armory building, a magnificent example of Renaissance architecture, the museum is one of the city’s top draws. The museum presents prehistoric to modern history, art, and culture of the city and the surrounding area.
The Old Armory Building: A Renaissance Masterpiece
Originally part of the city’s defenses, the structure that houses the museum today was built in 1588 under the rule of Archduke Charles II of Austria. The provision house held food and supplies, and the armory housed guns and ammo. Two courtyards joined the two portions; one of them has an exquisite inner courtyard with two-story Tuscan column arches. Skilled master builder Karl Marbl, who also worked on other city constructions like the parish church and town hall, designed the structure.
Over ages, the structure underwent a number of modifications and additions. The reconstruction of the structure following fire damage was overseen by local aristocrat and city governor Simon Valnegro in 1639. To the entryway, he erected a rustic doorway that still has his coat of arms and the remodeling date on it. The structure was given a more elegant look in 1798 when the main façade was rebuilt to include two side 3/8 bay windows. During this period, the armory building was also renovated, including new doors and windows.
Up to the close of the 19th century, the structure functioned as a military storehouse before being turned into a school. The structure was bought by the Bad Radkersburg municipality in 1935, which then chose to convert it into a museum.
The Museum: A Treasure Trove of History and Culture
Local historians and enthusiasts worked to protect and showcase the city’s and the region’s cultural and historical legacy when they established the museum in Bad Radkersburg in 1935. The collection of the museum was first shown at the town hall and then relocated to Hauptplatz No. 10 in 1941. Notwithstanding the difficulties and sufferings of World War II, the city did an amazing job of safeguarding and conserving its priceless antiques. The museum collection was first on show in 1948 in a temporary display housed in the kindergarten tower, drawing interest and respect from both experts and general public.
Dr. Gebhard Frodl, the state curator at the time, was one of the most important people in the museum’s history since he was very interested in the cultural and historical value of the items. In 1955, he also offered Radkersburg advice and support as the museum reopened. Part of the historic armory building, the museum was moved to the chambers of the former arsenal of the Styrian estates. On June 19, 1955, the museum was formally opened by Mayor Alfred Merlini. Built as a cultural hub, it included a music school and a library in addition to the museum. At the time serving as the Minister of Education, Dr. Heinrich Drimmel hailed the museum as the “most affluent and efficiently managed provincial museum.”
The gifts, purchases, and research of many people and organizations have allowed the Radkersburg City Museum to greatly increase its collection throughout time. The museum also has prehistoric and early historical antiquities from the closed Tieschen local history museum, together with farmland objects. Director of the museum and curator of the archives at the time, Notburga Huiber, oversaw a significant enlargement and renovation of the exhibition in 1982. Over the years, she had painstakingly and with devotion increased the collection. Significant support was also given to her by the Joanneum State Museum in Graz, which offered knowledge and help with the museum’s redesign.
The collection of the museum spans a broad spectrum of subjects and themes, including the history of the city and the surrounding area, the growth of trade and crafts, the city’s function as a spa and health resort, its artistic and cultural life, its social and religious components, and its natural history and surroundings. Together with a library and documentation center, the museum also presents temporary exhibitions, events, and educational activities.
The Museum in the Old Armory: A Recognition Award Winner
Under Univ.-Prof. Dr. Karl Stocker (BISDATO – office for historical research) and Mag. Beatrix Vreča, the head of the museum, the Bad Radkersburg museum was reopened in 1998 following another major refurbishment and modernization project. Initially planned as an interdisciplinary student project at the University of Kassel, Germany, the initiative brought together a number of specialists and professionals from several disciplines. Important players in this project were former museum director Heimo Witsch, landscape planner Ing. Dieter Voegelin, graduate restorer and artist Erika Thümmel, designer Thomas Hamann, and architect Kerstin Gerland.
The project sought to provide a new idea and design for the museum that would capture the history and architectural style of the structure as well as the character and diversity of the city and the region. Using cutting-edge and participatory presentation and communication techniques, the initiative also sought to increase the museum’s accessibility and appeal to visitors. Recognised as a significant cultural relic, the old armory building needed to be restored and preserved as part of the project.
The museum has been referred to as the “Museum in the old armory” since it reopened and has gotten a lot of good comments from both reviewers and tourists. The Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture, in association with the Association of Austrian Museums, bestowed upon the museum a recognition award as part of the esteemed Austrian Museum Prize in 2001. Museums who exhibit quality and creativity in their work and support the growth and advancement of the Austrian museum industry are recognized.
Any visitor to the city or surrounding area should not miss the museum at Bad Radkersburg. It presents the beauty and elegance of the historic armory building together with a singular and intriguing window into the history and culture of the city and the surrounding area. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. Adult admission is 5 euros; student and child admission is 3 euros. To obtain further information, go to www.museum-badradkersburg.at or email museum@badradkersburg.at or call +43 3476 2545.
Frauenkirche in Bad Radkersburg
At Frauenplatz in Bad Radkersburg, a town in the Austrian state of Styria, stands Frauenkirche, a Roman Catholic branch church honoring Mariahilf, or Mary of Help. The church, which dates back to the late 15th century, is a complex of Gothic and Baroque architectural styles. Up to the twentieth century, the church also functioned as a place of worship for the military garrison and the Slovene-speaking community. Attracting tourists with its artistic and historical importance, the church is now a cultural and religious monument.
The Origins of the Church
The church had its start in 1496 when a chapel was constructed on the Judenplatz, the location of an alleged ancient synagogue. With its Virgin Mary dedication, the chapel was dubbed the Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady. The church, which includes a polygonal apse and the remnants of circular windows, later included the chapel into its choir.
An inscription over the main door states that the church’s nave was restored in 1643 in the manner of a late Gothic hall church. With a ribbed roof supported by octagonal pillars, the nave consists of three aisles and four bays. Baroque stucco adorns the vault, pillars, front arch, and borders of the circular arches. As seen by the name of one of the contributors, Ruep Kummer, on the gateway, the nave was financed by the local fishermen and inhabitants.
Beyond the first bay of the southern aisle stands a striking four-story tower. A multi-layered onion dome, constructed in 1802 by master craftsman Michael Schmidt, tops the tower, which has a square base and pilaster design. Johannes Prandner signed four saint statues that are located in the top floor corners of the tower in 1666. Sebastian is the patron saint of the town; Florian is the patron saint of fire; Urban is the patron saint of wine; and John the Evangelist is the patron saint of hail.
In addition, the church features two rectangular chapels constructed at the level of the third bay on the north and south sides. The church’s west façade has a triangular gable and a broken pediment and stone frame main portal on the center axis. Franz Weiss made the enameled copper sheet reliefs on the door leaves in 1968. A stone pieta from the middle of the 17th century is housed in a wall niche over the principal door. Furthermore visible on the north side of the building is the inscription 1643.
Up until Emperor Joseph II abolished it in 1785, the cathedral was encircled by a cemetery. On the south side of the church are still visible the remnants of the cemetery wall. A place of worship for the Slovene-speaking inhabitants who lived on the opposite side of the Mur river, which marks the boundary with Slovenia, the chapel also functioned as a garrison church for the Austrian soldiers stationed in the town. Up until the town was split and the border was drawn in 1920, the church hosted Slovene services.
Over time, the church saw numerous internal and exterior restorations. The interior was renovated in 1967 and the outside in 1962 and 2006.
The Artistic Treasures of the Church
Richly ornamented with paintings, altars, statues, and other artistic features is the church’s interior. The choir features murals of an altar with a canopy, angels, and Eucharistic emblems. Matthias Schiffer painted Mary on clouds and it hangs on the triumphal arch in 1800. Overlooking the 1910-painted organ gallery are further Marian figures and St. Cecilia.
A tabernacle from the third quarter of the eighteenth century sits in front of the high altar against the frescoed landscape. From 1775 are the lateral figures, Rochus and Sebastian. The center figure of Mary holding the child dates back to 1829. The mid-19th century altarpiece of Painful Mary and the old altar piece of the Klagenfurt miraculous image are displayed in a magnificent frame on the right side altar, which features sculptures by Johann Georg Straub, who emigrated from Württemberg about 1755. Dated to the third quarter of the 18th century, the left side altar is a rosary altar with an altarpiece of praying holy saints before Mary and an upper section dedicated to the Adoration of the Kings.
The Trinity emblem is shown on the sound cover of the pulpit, which was constructed between 1770–1780 and contains Moses’ Tablet of the Law. Mid-18th century sculptures of St. Florian and St. Johann Nepomuk, together with a pieta and the cheeks of the church benches, are from this period. The communion lattice made of wrought iron bears the year 1754 etched there. There is a cross altar from 1911 in the southern side chapel and a Loretto altar from 1908 in the northern chapel.
Numerous 17th and 18th-century tombstones honoring the town’s and the garrison’s departed are also housed in the church. Stuccoed brick archway with gable top and figures from the fourth quarter of the 17th century leads to the main square in front of the church. 1956 saw repairs to the arches, and again in 2006.
Evangelical Christ Church
At Bad Radkersburg, the Evangelical Christ Church, a parish church under the Evangelical Superintendency AB Styria, is a monument to the long history of Protestantism in the area.
The 16th-century ardent waves of religious reform found fertile ground for Luther’s gospel freedom theory in Radkersburg and its surrounds. A watershed in the local religious scene was reached in 1541 with the entrance of Protestants into public life.
Catholic clergy bemoaned their declining power as the Protestant community thrived in spite of attempts by the Bishop of Ljubljana in 1528 to convert the people to Roman Catholicism.
In 1582, Carl Freiherr von and zu Herbersdorff generously donated a Protestant church together with a messner’s house and a schools. But this was also a turbulent time in the city, as rival factions suppressed Protestant literature and upended power.
Protestantism returned to Radkersburg in the 19th century, and in 1906 a new parish was established. Before their new church was built, members gathered at a prayer hall in Gornja Radgona, and Prekmurje Christians contributed to the building money.
Between 1930 and 1931, the straightforward but magnificent barrel-vaulted hall church with a commanding west tower emerged beyond the city walls in a show of architectural brilliance. A fitting monument to its continuing history in the religious tapestry of the area, the church, which was built to the exacting plans of Viennese architect Clemens Maximilian Kattner, embodies late historicist baroque influences.
Palais Herberstorff
Situated in the main square of Bad Radkersburg’s old town lies the Palais Herberstorff, also called Freyspurghof or Freyspurger Hof. It stands where the Obal Tower, an earlier mediaeval building that was a component of the city fortifications, stood. Still visible from the eastern side of the square is the tower’s characteristic tented roof.
Neoclassical in design, the palace features a two-row, seven-axis window front. The most striking aspect of the palace is reached by a side door from the Dechanthofgasse: a three-story Renaissance arcade courtyard with exquisite columns, arches, and balustrades. The Herberstorff and Liechtenstein families, whose commissioned the palace in the late 16th century, have their coats of arms adorning the courtyard.
Being the first private residence in the city, the palace is a reflection of the owners’ affluence and standing. The land was obtained by the Styrian noble family Herberstorffs from the Enzersdorfs, another aristocratic family that had received it from the Stickelbergs, who had succeeded the Monsbergs, Radkersburg’s initial patrons, in the thirteenth century.
To turn the old estate house into a magnificent Renaissance castle, the Herberstorffs engaged Italian master fortification builder Giovanni Battista della Porta de Riva. Once finished in 1584, the palace came to represent Bad Radkersburg’s late Renaissance artistic and cultural renaissance.
The palace is open to the public for guided tours and serves as both a residential and business structure nowadays. Along with learning about the history and legacy of the palace and its owners, visitors may take in the magnificent workmanship and architecture of the arcade courtyard. Anyone that enjoys art, history, or architecture should not miss the Palais Herberstorff.
Augustinian Hermit Church
The Augustinian Hermits, a monastic order devoted to St. Augustine, built the Augustinian Hermit Church and convent in 1395. Situated beside the river Mur, outside the town walls, the church and convent provided the locals with a place of prayer, education, and charity.
Up until 1542, when the Protestant Reformation forced them to leave the church and monastery, the Augustinian Hermits were active at Bad Radkersburg. After then, the church was converted into a charming armory with firearms and ammo kept and shown.
The Capuchin Era and the Secularization
In 1614, at the Counter-Reformation, a time of Catholic rebirth and Protestant persecution, the church and monastery were reportedly turned over to the Capuchins. An austere, simple, and impoverished order, the Capuchins were a reform offshoot of the Franciscan order. They added a library, a refectory, and a cloister to the church and monastery.
Up until 1817, when Emperor Joseph II secularized the monastery and numerous other religious establishments in the Habsburg Empire, the Capuchins remained at Bad Radkersburg. Enlightened in nature, Joseph II worked to lessen the power and riches of the Church while modernizing and rationalizing the state.
The Modern Uses of the Church and Monastery
Since then, the monastery has been a barracks and the chapel a wine cellar. Building the wine cellar in 1817 necessitated removing the altar, choir, and vaults, which greatly changed the inside of the church. Offering a selection of regional and local wines, the wine cellar is still in operation today.
The church was used as a theater in the 1850s, hence the lane on its west front was called Theatergasse. A bunch of aficionados started the theater and performed operettas and plays in the nave of the church. The theater moved subsequently, but Theatergasse stayed the same.
In 1940 the monastery was demolished to make place for the construction of a South Tyrolean village. A project of relocation, the hamlet was intended for the German-speaking residents of South Tyrol, a northern Italian territory that Mussolini had seized in 1920. Up to 1962, the hamlet was inhabited and included a number of homes, a school, a church, and a cemetery.
The Architectural Features of the Church
The church is a high gable top, thin building. An octagonal tower atop a sharply raised cuboid gable characterizes the eastern façade, which was formerly a part of the medieval fortifications. There are four tiny windows and a pyramidal roof on this fifteenth-century tower. Spiral stairs inside the church lead to the tower.
A pointed arch and a bricked-up round window, together with the remains of an original Gothic doorway crown and baroque ox-eye windows, may be seen on the western façade. The church’s entryway crown was a decorative feature, and the circular ox-eye windows let in light and air. Additionally on the western front is a stone plaque bearing the Augustinian Hermits’ coat of arms and the year 1395.
Reflecting the essence of the Capuchins, the church’s interior is plain and austere. The nave includes a south side wooden gallery and a level ceiling with wooden beams. Whitewashed walls bear faint remnants of inscriptions and frescoes. Among the works of art in the church are a 17th-century wooden crucifix, an 18th-century painting of St. Francis of Assisi, and a 19th-century statue of St. Anthony of Padua.
