Piber Castle (Schloss Piber) is a palace in the Austrian state of Styria. It is located next to the Federal Stud Piber which is known for breeding the famous Lipizzan stallions who are performing at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
Two beauties of Graz: The landmark of Graz named Uhrturm in the background and the Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche) in the foreground. The church is part of the oldest monastery in the city. Sometimes I walk through the hidden cloister for relaxing from the hurly-burly of the shopping streets in Graz.
This sundial on a residential building shows two depictions of the Styrian city of Bruck an der Mur. In the upper part, you can see Landskron Castle and parts of the former city walls. In the lower part, several residential buildings represent the modern Bruck an der Mur. At the bottom right, the city arms complete the presentation.
An interesting detail of Graz: There are a lot of signs mentioning the string A.E.I.O.U. This was used by the Habsburg Emperor Frederick III who resided in Graz for many years. The meaning of this string is still unsolved.
In this summer house formerly owned by Josef von Eggenwald (Eggenwaldsches Gartenhaus), the Peace Treaty of Leoben was signed between the Holy Roman Empire and the First French Republic on April 18th, 1797. This was an important event at the end of the ‘War of the First Coalition’. Today it houses a branch of the museum for local history.
At the Schell Collection, also known as Museum of Keys (Schlüsselmuseum), you can learn a lot about keys, locks, chests and jewellery boxes. Another focus is on decorative ironwork used for house signs, grave crosses, windows and doors.
This house sign in Graz shows a bird standing on a combination of a star and a crescent. The combination star and crescent was already known in the Hellenistic period (4th–1st centuries BCE). The crescent represents the moon, the star represents the sun or the morning star.
The manhole covers in Graz show the city arms. It is a Panther with flames from all body openings. The depiction is similar to the Styrian coat of arms. However, the Styrian Panther is horned and has only a flame from his mouth, since 1926.
This house sign is located at the former location of the town pharmacy in the building Hauptplatz No. 10. Since 1674, a gingerbread baker has been proved here. A pharmacy was run in this house since 1841. The house sign dates from the 19th century.
This mosaic near the main railway station of Graz was created by Norbertine Bresslern-Roth (1891-1978). She is regarded as one of the most famous animal painters worldwide. Some of her works are displayed at the Neue Galerie in Graz.
On my walk to an industrial heritage site next to Kindberg, I came across the city arms of Kindberg depicted in a not official town sign at the city boundary. The pic displays the inverted side of the city arms. The meaning refers to a legend that after a flood a missed child was found on top of a hill playing with flowers.
On my urban walk through Kindberg, I came across the coat of arms of Roßdorf. This is a place near Darmstadt in Germany. I love the dreamy moon in these city arms. Why is this coat of arms displayed in Kindberg? The simple answer is: Kindberg and Roßdorf are twinned.