Landhaus Klagenfurt

'Klagenfurt Country House') situated between Heiligengeistplatz and Alter Platz at the edge of the oldest part of downtown Klagenfurt, Austria, is a historically significant secular building in the Carinthian capital.

Although the uprisings were initially suppressed through military intervention, they strengthened the resolve of the "honorable landscape" to establish a seat of power under their control rather than remaining subject to external rulers.

The Evangelical Preacher Church (later known as Klagenfurt Cathedral) was built in 1581, the Lindwurm Fountain was erected on Neuer Platz in 1593, and the Landhaus, constructed between 1574 and 1594, was established as the seat of the Landstände.

On March 3, 1574, Hans Freymann from Bleiburg, who served as the regional master builder and chief armorer, received instructions to construct the new castle and oversee the fortification of the entire city.

Verda extended the building into a horseshoe shape, added the two-story arcade and accompanying flights of stairs, and constructed the southern tower.

Inside, the Great Coat of Arms Hall had been completed in 1578 by the Villach landscape painter Anton Blumenthal, who shortly thereafter contributed 47 portraits of Carinthian princes.

The completed Landhaus is depicted in a contemporary account by Urban Paumgartner, a teacher at the Protestant landscape school "Collegium sapientiae et pietatis" in Klagenfurt.

[...]The construction of the city fortifications in 1591 and the completion of the Landhaus in 1594 marked a significant turning point for Klagenfurt, transforming it into a major residence for the Landstände, both structurally and politically.

The Landhaus, particularly its Great Hall of Arms, was a focal point for festivities in the late 18th century, hosting notable events such as the visit of Amalia of Parma in June 1783 and Archduke Ferdinand of Milan in 1786.

The cellar was adorned with murals created by local Carinthian artists, including Eduard Manhart's "Ankogel," Switbert Lobisser's "Kirchgang," "Keusche am Berg," and "Kärntnerhimmel," Josef Prokop's "Schimmelreiten im Gurktal," and Richard Knaus's "Stern- oder Dreikönigssingen in Paternion" and "Bandltanz."

The frescoes were intended to symbolize the fraternization between Austria and Germany, depicting themes of military life, crafts, hospitality, and patriarchal order, which were considered contemporary at the time.

[9] In the summer of 1938, Switbert Lobisser was commissioned by Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick to paint new frescoes in the conference hall for 10,000 Reichsmark, entitled "Carinthia's Homecoming into the Reich".

By the evening of May 7, the provisional provincial government was established in the small armorial hall, marking a key moment in the reinstatement of democracy in Carinthia.

To commemorate this historic event, a plaque was installed in the Landhaus in 1985, inscribed with: "In this building / Carinthian / patriots restored / democracy / in the country by / their own efforts on 7 May / 1945."

Dr. Michael Ausserwinkler, the deputy provincial governor responsible for culture at the time, endorsed this proposal, emphasizing the importance of confronting the darker aspects of Carinthia’s past.

The Kärntner Krone, a regional newspaper, criticized the decision with headlines such as: "Faecal artist to collect millions: Stop cultural scandal in Carinthia!

On 7 July the provincial government decided to award the contract to Kolig with the votes of the ÖVP and SPÖ: "The result does not fit the FPÖ's political worldview.

If critics had initially taken offense at the way the contract was awarded, the campaign by the Kärntner Krone and the FPÖ against Cornelius Kolig continued even after the tender they had called for.

[15] Construction work on the Kolig Hall began in August 1998, while the FPÖ mobilized against the project, collecting signatures and distributing controversial leaflets.

[16] Kolig completed the design of the room, incorporating elements such as the lettering "TAT ORT," referencing its previous use as Friedrich Rainer’s office.

The remaining portal provides access to the courtyard, which features wide staircases on the north and south sides that lead up to the arcade and the Great Hall of Heraldry.

The building deviates from classical architectural rules; for instance, the portal is not centrally located on the west side, and the entrance to the coat of arms hall is similarly off-center.

This lack of adherence to classical norms contributes to the building's unique charm, which led Wilhelm Pinder to describe the Landhaus as one of the most impressive post-medieval urban structures in the German-speaking world.

Instead of a celestial depiction, the fresco portrays the hereditary homage of Emperor Charles VI, which took place on August 22, 1728, in the Palais Rosenberg (now the town hall of Klagenfurt).

The emperor is depicted under a red canopy, surrounded by deputies, ecclesiastical dignitaries, the duke’s farmer, and holders of eleven provincial offices.

The south wall features a fresco depicting the handing over of the Gabbrief (deed of donation) by Maximilian I to the Carinthian Landstände on April 24, 1518, marking Klagenfurt's designation as a provincial city.

The south side shows the coats of arms of the ecclesiastical Landstände on the left and provincial governors on the right, ending with Leopold von Aichelburg-Labia (1909–1918).

The Small Hall of Arms, formerly known as the Ratsstube (Council Chamber), is a historically significant room within the Landhaus where meetings of the Board of Deputies—predecessors of the state government—took place during the Estates Period.

Anton Kolig's paintings Gastmahl ("Banquet"), Mägdekammer ("Chamber of Maids"), and the singers with the lovers were installed as large-scale, monochrome reproductions.

In between are installations by Cornelius Kolig: Der Flieger ("The Aviator"), a black male torso that merges into a beam above the navel; a wall of red roses.