The Austrian businessman from Loeben, Eginhard Aubell, wants to turn his Renaissance property, the Blaues Haus, into a “Napolium”. In this way a historical building will become a “living meeting place for Austrian and European history.”
Whilst it might seem surprising to have a house dedicated to the glory of Napoleon Bonaparte near Graz, the place nevertheless has excellent Napoleonic credentials. In 1797, Leoben became the place where Napoleon met Austrian diplomats for the treaty discussions, in 1805 the city was besieged by Napoleon's troops, and in 1809 the nearby town of St. Michael was the site of a major battle between the French and the Austrians.
The “Napolium” will not be just a common or garden museum; it aims to tell the story of Napoleon and his second wife, the Austrian Marie Louise, using thirty “experience” stations. The “Erlebnisschau” (“experience exhibition”) is to open on several floors of the Blaues Haus in 2010. The project is supported by the local mayor Matthias Konrad.
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