bg Graz

Neuer Thonethof

- Herrengasse 28 -
The four-story building, which was built in 1890 with both a residential and commercial function, according to the plans of the Austrian architects and . It was built on a plot where the inn called Zum Rabenschinder used to stand, which was demolished in 1888. The inn was considered a musical salon for the Graz bourgeoisie, which the composer also frequently visited. In 1881, the building became the property of the later mayor . Seven years later, it was sold to the Thonet family, who also purchased the remaining part of the block and had the current building built. The Café Thonethof, which was located in the building and renamed Herrenhof in 1934, was known far beyond the borders of Graz. It was a popular meeting place in the center of the city, but it closed down in 1969. After a renovation, the Bank for Trade and Industry moved in in 1971, but it went bankrupt in 1995.
The Zum Rabenschinder Inn after the demolition in 1888
Two corners of the Eclectic building, which also features some Neo-Renaissance elements, are topped with a bell-shaped dome containing a lantern tower crowned with a . In front of it, you can admire a spectacle consisting of a surrounded by two . The , on which the spectacle is placed, runs around the entire building and is embellished with . Even more cartouches are placed above and underneath some of the windows, some , as well as some of the corners. The pilasters that can be seen on the other corners, as well as on the eastern side, are all crowned with a Composite . Around the other windows, you can see decorations consisting of pediments, decorative shells, , , and adorned with and . The , are either secured with a stone balustrade incorporated with or a wrought iron railing, of which the latter are supported by .
The building is shown in an old postcard