Pistorkaserne

The Pistorkaserne stands in Bad Radkersburg in the Steiermark. It began as a manor house for Alt-Ottersbach and later served as a barracks before becoming a residential complex. The building’s oldest part, facing the courtyard, holds a barrel-vaulted room whose floor now sits below today’s street level because the town’s ground rose by up to a metre since the 15th century. Inside this room a complete set of secular frescoes painted around 1400 by Johannes Aquila covers the walls. They depict a siege scene and hunting episodes. The murals were uncovered in 1951 by restorer Tina Kerciku and are protected as part of the national heritage. The main wing facing the Hauptplatz dates from the 16th century, though its core is older. The Pistorkaserne is listed as a historic monument. Visitors can walk past the plain façade of the Hauptplatz wing and peer into the courtyard where the frescoed room lies. The contrast between the 16th-century façade and the medieval vault below shows how the town has grown over centuries.