bg Klagenfurt

Gutenberghaus

- Pernhartgasse 8 -
The four-story building, which was constructed in the period that lasted from 1909 until 1910, was built with commercial premises on the first and residential premises on the upper floors. The construction was led by the Italian building and owner of a construction company Eduard Avian, and it was executed according to a project that was created by the Austrian architect . The beautiful frescos that were painted onto certain parts of the facade were the work of the Austrian artist Leopold Resch from . It was built for the Gutenberghaus printing company, which was owned by Rudolf Bertschinger, Philipp Knoch, and Johann Wilhelm Adler, who founded the company on January 1, 1908. Johann Wilhelm Adler left the company in 1913 when the Gutenberghaus was the largest printing company in the country. After the , the company was sold to Wilhelm Merkel from . He continued the business with around sixty workers, three typesetting machines, and ten printing machines as well as stereotyping. He produced many printed materials for the local party for the referendum in 's fateful year of 1920. The company continued as Gutenberghaus until 1938 when it was taken over by another company.
Gutenberghaus printing company around 1910
The two top gables of the Neo-Renaissance building are both topped with a . One of the top gables is embellished with a fresco predicting the work of printing and two owls, which are a symbol of wisdom. The top gable also has a incorporated in it, which is topped with a bell-shaped dome and supported by a cone-shaped . The other top gable features an incorporated , which originates from a column crowned with a Corinthian at the bottom. The oriel window contains some fragments that are lavishly decorated with foliage and three bass reliefs that show Rudolf Bertschinger, Philipp Knoch, and Johann Wilhelm Adler. In addition, the building also features fragments that contain a and a gear, as well as a fragment that contains another fresco showing a coat of arms and a . The stone blocks, including the and , that protrude from the tightly plastered facade are decorated with .
The building is shown in an old postcard