Meerscheinschlössl

The Meerscheinschlössl is a baroque palace located on Mozartgasse in the Geidorf district of Graz, specifically in the third district.

Approximately 1580, the papal nuncio Malaspina constructed a building in the late Renaissance style, serving as a summer residence that preceded the palace.The building known as “Hof Rosenthal” was later acquired by Georg Friedrich Graf Mersperg and was accompanied by beautiful gardens.The building was expanded in three sections (1674, 1689/94, and 1706/08) to become a “pleasure palace”.The owner of the Meerscheinschlössl, Balthasar Graf Wagensberg, was mentioned as early as 1689. He oversaw the reconstruction of the Meerscheinschlössl between 1689 and 1694, following the plans of Joachim Carlone.Leopold von Stubenberg acquired the complex just a few years later, in 1706.He commissioned Andreas Stenggdesign to construct the castle, including the basement and the exterior facade.Count Adam Breuner owned the property starting from 1750, while Count Thomas Gundaker Wurmbrand-Stuppach became the owner in 1772.

The castle was not given its current namesake, Johann Meerschein, until 1801.He operated the castle, located outside the city walls, as a tourist restaurant until the war with France in 1809.The Meerschein Castle suffered significant damage during the war due to the presence of French troops stationed there.In 1843, Josef Schlosser, a merchant, acquired the Meerscheinschlössl and subsequently had the gardens divided and sold as individual building plots.Adolf Ignaz Mautner became the owner of the castle in 1864, at which time it was known as “Villa Mautner.” Later, in 1899, Leopold Schreiner took over ownership.Schreiner established a sanatorium on the premises to provide care for individuals suffering from mental illness and morphine addiction. However, the facility was eventually closed down in 1913.

The Meerscheinschlössl has been owned by the Imperial and Royal Ministry of Education since 1914.The building housed multiple university institutes.During the 1960s and 1970s, there were plans to demolish the castle and construct a high-rise building in its location.However, the plans were abandoned.Between 1977 and 1982, the building underwent extensive renovations. Since then, it has been utilized for university purposes and cultural events once again.

The initial floor plan was in the shape of a H and included a courtyard within its boundaries.The street frontage of today is no longer identical to the original facade.The pilaster-structured porch with a pent roof was created in the mid-19th century.The design of the garden front was likely influenced by the works of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt.The space is characterized by a prominent central area that is raised by a simulated additional level.The side wings have a concave shape.

The Meerscheinschlössl is accessible by an avenue that leads from the Paulustor.The facade features Corinthian monumental pilasters that are carefully arranged.The central area of the castle comprises a spacious square hall, accompanied by two smaller square rooms on either side.The large hall in Graz is home to the only surviving Josephine-classical interior design featuring stucco decoration.The frescoes on the mirror vault depict the triumph of the Christian religion over the realm of pagan gods, as well as the changing seasons. Four figures stand in front of the garden, symbolizing the different seasons.It is likely that Anton Kakon created them during the first quarter of the 18th century.These two stone vases are from this period.The gardens that were once generously laid out are now only preserved in a rudimentary manner.