Golden Goose

I have chosen to talk about the Goldene Gans, the Golden Goose. The first time I saw it, I was in primary school. During a guided tour of the city, among the various stops, they took us there as well. And for me, as a child, it was something fascinating: a simple goose… but golden. You looked up, it shone, it caught your attention. Today, I study history, and I wanted to find out more. The first mention of the House of the Golden Goose dates back to 1489. It was Emperor Frederick III who donated it to the city. At the time, it was still a kind of castle. And it is probably one of the oldest buildings in Klagenfurt. In the Middle Ages, it was a so-called “fortified house”. Later, it became the town hall — or so it is thought. Until the end of the eighteenth century, it belonged to the noble Dietrichstein family, whose origins go back to the Middle Ages. In the seventeenth century, the Golden Goose was cast in brass. It remained on display in the museum until 1892. The building itself, on the other hand, was opened to the public in 1970 and adapted to accommodate shops.