The largest town house of the market, the corner house No. 82, still called "Lerchhaus", with its nine-window front is certainly the oldest market house preserved in its original form. Even the repeated fires could not harm the massive construction of this house in its basic substance.
Built in the 16th century at the latest, it has preserved the essential stylistic features of that century to this day and has retained its Renaissance character. The large building, which shows this style in the austerity of its construction form, is, as is clearly visible on the outside and inside, the result of the joining of two houses and, according to the Theresian numbering of the 18th century, still had two conscription numbers, house numbers 3 and 4.
CONSTRUCTION
The large house has on the flat ground a hall or porch of amazing size and peculiarity. Vaulted on a supporting massive stone column in the center of the room and surrounding walls, this interesting room is an almost unique piece of Renaissance architecture that has come down to our time, whose architectural value and significance as a local landmark has not been generally recognized and appreciated. The artist Emma Singer-Hiesleitner drew this interesting room with its peculiar vaults already in 1922 as a valuable architecture of past centuries and published it in Kloepfer's book "Aus dem Sulmtal". In recent times we find the Lerch's hall included in the collection "Endangered cultural assets of Styria" among the few preserved works of the Renaissance.
THE LERCH HOUSE IN LOCAL HISTORY
The Lerch House, the market patrician house of old, also played a role in the fortunes of our market in many ways. Twice, in 1711 and 1854, fires broke out in the stables of the Lerch House, bringing the market to the brink of destruction. So much about the old market house. The old and respected burgher family of the Lerch, documented in Eibiswald since 1612, played an important role in the history of our market. In the years 1696, 1706 and 1806 the Lerch guided the fortunes of the market as market judges and in many years they were councilors, quartermasters or scriptural syndics of the magistrate. Under the parish priest Antonius Sylvester Lerch, the baroque cross group was created in 1707 at the churchyard, which could be renovated and repositioned in a worthy place only a few years ago. As early as 1702, the later market judge Michael Andrä Lerch was able to take the castle and manor of Bischofegg on lease from the Bishop of Seckau. At the same time they ran the brewery and the gingerbread business in Eibiswald. For more than 300 years, the upper middle-class house of Lerch, respected and wealthy, survived all the perils of this long period until the good years in Eibiswald came to an end with the death of all industry. Economic difficulties led to a tragic end of the Lerch family in the first decades of our century.