The Landhaus Klagenfurt (lit. '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. Constructed between 1574 and 1594 as part of the city's expansion and fortification efforts, it was commissioned by the Carinthian Landstand. Today, the Landhaus serves as the seat of the Carinthian state parliament and remains a symbol of Carinthian history and tradition.
Historical background During the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Carinthia was largely left to manage its affairs. The Habsburg princes, residing as emperors in Vienna or Prague, were often absent from the region. Consequently, the responsibility for addressing Ottoman incursions and internal uprisings fell to the Landstände, which represented the nobility and high clergy. In 1478, a peasant uprising in Carinthia arose in response to new taxes. Additional rebellions emerged from Carniola and southern Styria in 1515, leading to the occupation of Althofen and St. Vitus, which was the capital of Carinthia at the time.
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. They chose Klagenfurt, which had been severely damaged by a fire in 1514, and petitioned Emperor Maximilian I to transfer control of the city to them. Given that the imperial court and the city lacked the necessary funds for reconstruction, Maximilian granted ownership to the local nobility in 1518. Over the 16th century, the Landstände managed the reconstruction and fortification of the city, ultimately designating Klagenfurt as the new capital of Carinthia. As early as 1527, the 4.5-kilometer-long Lend Canal was constructed to supply the city with water from Lake Wörthersee, to feed the city moat, which began excavation in 1534, and to serve as a transport route for building materials. The expansion of the city commenced in 1534. Within the newly erected city walls, construction took place south of the old city center, shaping the character of modern-day Klagenfurt. 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.
History
Preceding buildings in the late Middle Ages Klagenfurt, established at its current location in 1246, was granted city rights in 1252. However, during the late Middle Ages, the towns of St. Veit and Völkermarkt were more prominent as sovereign residences in Carinthia. Despite this, records indicate that a castle was built in Klagenfurt during the town's reconstruction period. Castellans of Klagenfurt are mentioned in 1258, and a document from Duke Ulrich III in 1268 refers to a castle. However, details about the size and location of this castle are sparse, though it is believed to have been situated at the western end of Alter Platz. Neither the Spanheimer dukes of the 13th century nor the Habsburg sovereigns, who acquired the Duchy of Carinthia in 1335, used the castle complex as a seat of power. While the Spanheimers resided in St. Veit, the Habsburgs did not establish a permanent residence in Klagenfurt. In 1489, the citizens of Klagenfurt were gifted a new castle by the emperor. By this time, a second sovereign castle had already been built during the 15th century. The exact location of this second castle is not well documented, but it was situated near the older castle, with at least part of it occupying the area where the Landhaus now stands.
Construction of the Landhaus (1574–1594)
The Landhaus was intended to replace the old sovereign castle, which had been destroyed in a city fire in 1535 and had already become dilapidated prior to that. To prepare for the construction of the new building, the Landstände began the construction of an armory in 1518, the foundations of which can still be seen in the northeastern corner of the cellar. Ultimately, it was decided to build a new castle starting in 1574. 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. The precise extent of his involvement in the planning and design of the complex remains unclear, and it is no longer possible to determine his specific contributions to the current structure. However, it is believed that he extended an older, square building located at the northwest corner of the Landhaus by adding a hook-shaped wing extending towards the south. This new section included a hall (now known as the Grosser Wappensaal) situated above the basement, the Landstube (currently utilized as a meeting room), and several additional rooms adjoining it to the east. These rooms roughly correspond to the present west and south wings of the building. By the end of his tenure, the buildings had been completed to such an extent that artistic decoration could begin. After completing this first phase of construction by the end of 1580, the Landstände also acquired the so-called Paradeiserhaus in the immediate vicinity (now Landhaushof No. 3), which has since formed a structural and functional ensemble with the Landhaus.
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