Palace and present

In 2025, Graz's Eggenberg Palace will celebrate its 400th anniversary. Thanks to its architecture, interior, and park, it is a celebrated Baroque total work of art. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is one of the city's main tourist destinations. The anniversary is being celebrated with an exhibition that builds on what has been handed down, but with new content and perspectives, using installations, interaction, and immersion to create a contemporary language and aesthetic for today's audience. We are taking this exhibition as an opportunity to discuss specific examples and concepts with experts from the fields of curating, design, and communication on how to present a palace in the 21st century as an architectural heritage, historical site, and museum. How can cherished stories be updated, which ones should perhaps be left behind, and which ones should be added? What potential does architecture have as a theme, and what does the personalisation of history have to offer in order to connect with people today? What contribution can exhibits, design or art, as well as borrowing from theatre make? And finally, how can historical architecture and room layouts be adapted to meet new requirements in terms of the quality of visitor experience – what does it take to make people feel welcome?