Dietrichsteinplatz

Dietrichsteinplatz is a plaza in Graz’s old town to the south.The long, mostly west-east oriented square divides the second district of St. Leonhard from the sixth district of Jakomini; the former comprises the homes on the north side and a substantial portion of the square area, while the latter includes the residences on the south side.Its current area was formed by arching over a brook in 1882/1883.This separated the long square in front of it into two narrow pieces.Its name is derived from the noble Dietrichstein family.

It was planned in 1879 to straighten the Grazbach and surround it with a vault, i.e. to lead it underground. On the one hand, this was done to save the city from flooding, but on the other side, sewage was released into the creek, which frequently carried little of its own water in the summer and was therefore an unpleasant problem. The canal’s initial building phase ran from the western end of what became Dietrichsteinplatz to the junction of the Grazbach and the Mur. Instead of a stream bed, the second, higher building phase constructed the eastern section of today’s square.

The Grazbach Canal may be walked upright and dry over its whole length from its mouth, which is presently about at the root of the Graz-Puntigam power plant on the Mur, and was the flowing part of the water and canal course from 2005 to at least 2011 – using a headlamp.

The Grazbach Canal originates at the eastern end of Sparbesbachgasse, directly across from the Herz-Jesu-Kirche, and continues up the Leonhardbach.Opening the manhole covers on the sidewalk Sparbesbachgasse 2 allows access to Dietrichsteinplatz from the house’s corner.

On both sides of the stream channel, two waste water channels flow into the waste water channel on the Mur’s left bank, which is now a storage channel.The Mur is filled with fresh stream water.Floodwaters from strong rains combine and enter the Mur.

The city council decided to call the plaza “Fürst Dietrichsteinplatz” even before building on the arch over the stream began.The name celebrates the aristocratic Dietrichstein family with good reason: in 1690, Gundacker von Dietrichstein resolved that if the family died out, a significant portion of the family fortune should be transformed into a charity foundation.This happened, at least for one line of the family, in 1858 (according to some accounts, 1859).Since then, the “Fürst Dietrichstein’sche Stiftungshaus” has existed in the square’s immediate neighborhood (Schlögelgasse No. 9); despite various amendments to the foundation’s aim, students have been sponsored since 1977.

For a long time, the plague column, which stands in front of the entrance to the St. Peter city cemetery, stood near Dietrichsteinplatz.It had to be relocated for space issues, as the Graz tramway (horse tramway since 1878) evolved into an important center for inner-city traffic.He has remained in this function to this day, therefore his look is mostly influenced by the demands of motorized traffic.The six streets that feed into the irregularly shaped plaza, together with tram and bus line needs, create a difficult traffic scenario that has so far hindered the desire to remodel the area.There are still a few Biedermeier or even earlier buildings on the south side of the plaza that have preserved its traditional suburban character, but several are under threat of destruction.

The tram track from Jakominiplatz to Reitschulgasse splits at the square into Sparbesbachgasse (line 3 (and 23) to Krenngasse) and Münzgrabenstraße (line 6 to St. Peter), at the beginning of which one of the four tram platforms of the Dietrichsteinplatz station is located.

On the traffic island, a taxi driver waiting lane (complete with a snack bar) has been established.Cyclists also arrive to the area through Reitschulgasse and utilize the bimtstrasse in the square’s center in an easterly direction.

The Martin Auer bakery operated in two buildings on or near the square until 2021, when it relocated 3 kilometers south to Messendorf.The municipal professional fire brigade has a tiny base at the Schörgelgasse exit that is being extended; an adjacent building was previously destroyed for this purpose in 2021.

  • Dietrichsteinplatz 3 – The four-story residential structure on the north side of the square, together with the adjoining building (Dietrichsteinplatz 4) was built in neo-Gothic style by master builder Josef F. Flohr in 1881 (according to another source, in 1887). The adjoining house’s historicist façade was demolished in 1962. The side avant-corps with saint pictures in the gables are distinctive. For numerous generations, the Schuchter family conducted a reputable joinery.
  • Dietrichsteinplatz 7 – Karl Heller designed the late historicist old German style structure, which was completed between 1886 and 1888. It is located at the eastern end of the plaza, between Sparbersbachgasse and Schörgelgasse. The Rundelle mentioned above was located at this place.
  • Dietrichsteinplatz 8 – A two-story hipped suburban home on the square’s south side. It was erected towards the end of the 18th century, and while the bottom floor has been modified for corporate activities, the top floor retains some of the original exterior components. It will follow in the footsteps of the nearby home at Schörgelgasse 6, which has already been removed.
  • Dietrichsteinplatz 9 – The listed structure on the square’s south side comes from the late 18th century. Despite recent restorations, the slab-style facade and the likely modern flat-arched stone doorway have been maintained. A wooden balcony (Pawlatsche) may be seen on the courtyard side.
  • Dietrichsteinplatz 9a – The volunteer fire brigade was housed in the courtyard behind the house at Dietrichsteinplatz 9 from 1889 until 1939, when it was taken over by the Graz professional fire brigade at the end of the war. A new building will be constructed by 2023 due to the aging buildings and inadequate space.
  • Dietrichsteinplatz 12 – The old inn Zum Braunen Hirschen on the square’s south side is a suburban structure from the 17th and 18th centuries. Despite extensive 19th-century modifications, the corner bay window from the time the house was erected, as well as some antique exterior components, have been maintained. Reliefs with the house sign from the first part of the nineteenth century may be found in the two little triangular gables.
  • Schörgelgasse 6 – The small ensemble on the southeast corner of the plaza, near the entrance to Schörgelgasse, dates from the 18th century. It was made up of a residential structure and a workshop building that once held a metalworking company. Aside from a high-quality basement vault and a lovely Pawlatschengang in the courtyard, the houses were reminiscent of the suburbs, which were characterized by the lower middle classes and craftsmen. The workshop wing was removed in 2020, and the residential building was razed the following year.

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