Permanent Display of Part of the Exhibition Styrian Hercules – Following the Trail of Fresco Commissions by Ignac Maria, Count of Attems

In both salons of Slovenska Bistrica Castle, a permanent display of part of the exhibition Styrian Hercules is on view. The exhibition was presented in 2017 in the Castle Gallery and focuses primarily on the connection between Ignac Maria, Count of Attems, and Slovenska Bistrica Castle.

The exhibition presents the life of the exceptionally ambitious Ignac Maria, Count of Attems (☼ Ljubljana 1652–† Graz 1732), who, through his marriages, purchases of estates, official positions and, not least, artistic commissions, ensured that within a single generation his family became one of the most important noble families in Styria. He was also the owner of Slovenska Bistrica Castle. In the ceiling paintings, Attems identified himself with the demigod Hercules, which is why he was named the Hercules of Styria, as he left behind exceptional castles and mansions, especially in the area of present-day Slovenian Styria, decorated with illusionistic frescoes.