Gemaltes Haus (Painted House)

The Herzogshof (also known as the “Painted House” and “Gemaltes Haus”) is a building in Graz’s Herrengasse, the front of which is completely painted.

It was first mentioned in a document in 1360. Here the dukes of Styria gave the fiefdoms to their subjects. When Graz Castle was completed in 1450, it was no longer needed for this purpose. Around the year 1600, the façade was painted for the first time, by the court painter of Emperor Ferdinand II and later architect of his mausoleum, Giovanni Pietro de Pomis.

The house changed hands several times until it came into the possession of the changer Franz von Lathurner. Around 1742, he had the house frescoed anew by the Vorau painter Johann Mayer, a pupil of Johann Cyriak Hackhofer. The painting covers the entire façade with 220 m² and shows Greek and Roman gods.

In 1382, a delegation from Trieste was received at the ducal court. They placed their country under the protection of the Habsburgs so as not to be conquered by Venice. Trieste remained part of Austria until the end of the First World War.