Graz
Graz [graːts] (
Slovenian:
Gradec IPA: /gra.deʦ/), with a population of 285,470
as of 2005 (out of these 248,146 have principal residence status), is the
second-largest city in
Austria after
Vienna and the capital of the federal state of
Styria (
Steiermark in
German). It has a long tradition as a student city, with six
universities with over 40,000 students. Graz's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe, and was recently included in the
UNESCO list of
World Cultural Heritage Sites. In
2003 Graz was named sole
Cultural Capital of Europe.
The city is situated on the
Mur river, in the southeast of Austria. It is approximately 2.5 hours south of Vienna by train or 2 hours by car. Graz is the capital and largest city in
Styria, a beautiful and heavily forested area. The city itself is surrounded by low hills on 3 sides, thus making it predisposed to haze in the warmer months.
1900: 168,808
1971: 249,089
1991: 237,810
2001: 226,244
2005: 240,278
The more recent
population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. A large proportion of people with secondary residence status in Graz are students. In 2005 there were 38,472 people with secondary residence status in Graz (Graz: Stadtplanung und Stadtentwicklung, 2006).
Graz was originally the site of a
Roman fort.
Later a small castle was built here by the
Slovenians, which in time became a heavily defended fortification. 'Gradec' literally means "small castle" in Slovenian. The German name 'Graz' was first used in
1128, and during this time dukes under
Babenberg rule made the town into an important commercial center. Later Graz came under the rule of the
Habsburgs, and in
1281 gained special privileges from
King Rudolph I.
In the
14th century Graz became the city of residence of the
Inner Austrian line of the Habsburgs. The royalty lived in the
Schloßberg castle and from there ruled
Styria,
Carinthia, and parts of today's
Italy and
Slovenia (
Carniola,
Gorizia and
Gradisca). In the
16th century, the city's design and planning was primarily controlled by Italian Renaissance architects and artists. One of the most famous buildings built in this style is the Landhaus. It was designed by
Domenico dell'Allio, and was used by the local rulers as a governmental headquarters.
Karl-Franzens Universität, also referred to as the
University of Graz, is the city's oldest university, founded in
1585 by Archduke
Charles II. For most of its existence it was controlled by the
Catholic church, and was closed in
1782 by
Joseph II in an attempt to gain state control over educational institutions. Joseph II transformed it into a lyceum where civil servants and medical personnel were trained. In
1827 it was re-instituted as a university by Emperor
Franz I, thus gaining the name 'Karl-Franzens Universität,' meaning 'Charles-Francis University.' Over 30,000 students currently study at this university.
Nikola Tesla studied electrical engineering at the
Polytechnic in Graz in
1875. Nobel Laureate
Otto Loewi taught at the
University of Graz from
1909 until
1938.
Johannes Kepler was a professor of mathematics at the University of Graz.
Erwin Schrödinger was briefly chancellor of the University of Graz in
1936.
Adolf Hitler was given a warm welcome when he visited in
1938, the year Austria was
annexed by
Nazi Germany. The thriving
Jewish community was destroyed by the Nazis and their grand synagogue was burnt. A small group of Graz Jews returned despite everything after the war. In 2000, on the anniversary of the
Reichskristallnacht, Graz city council presented the Jewish community with a new synagogue as a gesture of reconciliation. Hitler promised the people of Graz 1,000 years of prosperity and an end to mass unemployment: only 7 years later the Graz resistance surrendered the city to
Soviet troops sparing Graz any further destruction. By then about 16% of buildings had been destroyed by
Allied bombing - luckily the Old Town was not seriously hit.
Graz lies in Styria, or
Steiermark in German.
Mark is an old German word indicating a large area of land used as a defensive border, in which the peasantry are taught how to organize and fight in the case of an invasion. With a strategic location at the head of the open and fertile
Mur valley, Graz was often assaulted (unsuccessfully), e.g. by the Hungarians under
Matthias Corvinus in
1481, and by the
Ottoman Turks in
1529 and
1532. Apart from the Riegersburg, the Schloßberg was the only fortification in the region that never fell to the Ottoman Turks. Graz is home to the region's provincial armory, which is the world's largest historical collection of weaponry. It has been preserved since 1551, and displays over 30,000 items.
From the earlier part of the
15th century Graz was the residence of the younger branch of the Habsburgs, which succeeded to the imperial throne in 1619 in the person of
Emperor Ferdinand II, who moved the capital to Vienna. New fortifications were constructed on the Schlossberg at the end of the 16th century.
Napoleon's army occupied Graz in
1797. In 1809 the city had to withstand another assault by the French army. During the course of this attack, the commanding officer in the fortress was ordered to defend it with his men against Napoleon's army, which numbered about 900 and 3,000 respectively. He successfully defended the Schloßberg against 8 attacks, but they were forced to give up since the Grande Armee conquered Vienna and the Emperor ordered to surrender. The fortress of Graz is seen as the strongest fortress ever built. Following the defeat of Austria by Napoleonic forces at the
Battle of Wagram in
1809, the fortifications were demolished using explosives, as stipulated in the Peace of
Schönbrunn of the same year. The belltower and the civic clock tower, often used as the symbol of Graz, were allowed to survive this fate after the people of Graz paid a ransom for their preservation.
Archduke
Charles II of Inner Austria had 20,000
Protestant books burned in the square of what is now a mental hospital, and succeeded in returning Styria to the authority of the
Holy See.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was born in Graz, in what is now the Stadtmuseum (city museum).
|
View of the Rathaus or City Hall at dusk |
 |
View of Graz including the Kunsthaus |
In the last few years some groundbreakingly modern new public buildings have been erected in the city. The most famous of these include the "Kunsthaus" (house of modern art) designed by
Peter Cook and
Colin Fournier, a museum constructed right next to the river Mur, and the "
Murinsel" (island in the Mur), an island made of steel, situated in the river. It was designed by the American architect
Vito Acconci and contains a café, an open-air theatre and a playground.
Main attractions in the Old Town
* Schloßberg - hill dominating the old town, site of demolished fortress, with views over Graz
* Uhrturm - clocktower, symbol of Graz, on the top of Schlossberg
* Neue Gallerie - museum of art
* Schloßbergbahn - funicular railway up the Schlossberg
* Landeszeughaus - armoury, largest of its kind in the world [Landeszeughaus:[
1],[
2]]
* Schauspielhaus - principal theatre [Schauspielhaus:[
3]]
* Opera house
* Landhaus - Renaissance government building [Landhaus:[
4],[
5]]
* Dom - cathedral
* Mausoleum
* Rathaus - town hall
* Burg - castle, with gothic double staircase
* Gemaltes Haus - "painted house" in the Herrengasse
* Kunsthaus - museum of modern art
*
Murinsel - island in the Mur
* Buildings, courtyards and roofscape of the old town. Since 1999 the old town centre of Graz has been listed as
World Cultural Heritage by
UNESCO.
Main attractions outside the Old Town
* Schloß Eggenberg - palace on the western edge of Graz with State rooms and museum [Schloß:[
6],[
7],[
8]]
* Basilika Mariatrost - late Baroque gem, on the eastern edge of Graz [Basilika:[
9],[
10],[
11]]
* Herz Jesu Kirche - largest church in Graz with the 3rd highest spire in Austria [Kirche:[
12],[
13]]
* Calvary Hill - 17th century calvary and church
* Best viewpoints for vistas of the city: Ruine Gösting - hilltop castle ruins on northwestern edge of city; Plabutsch - behind Schloss Eggenberg with hilltop restaurant
Main attractions within the greater Graz area
* Freilichtmuseum Stübing - open-air museum containing old farmhouses/farm buildings from all over Austria reassembled in historic setting
* Lurgrotte - most extensive cave system in Austria
* Lipizzanergestüt Piber -
Lipizzaner stud where the famous white horses are bred
* Steirische Weinstrasse - winegrowing region south of Graz, also known as the "Styrian Tuscany"
* Thermenregion - spa region east of Graz
* Riegersburg - mighty fortress that was never taken, a bastion against historical Turkish invasions [Riegersburg:[
14],[
15]]
During
2003 Graz had the title of "
European Capital of Culture".
Many festivals take place throughout the year such as the "
Styriarte", "
Steirischer Herbst", "
Jazz Sommer", "
La Strada" or "
Classics in the City". Some of these events can be visited for free.
An extensive public transportation network makes Graz an easy city to navigate without a car. The city has a comprehensive bus network, complementing a tram network consisting of eight lines, two of which run from the train station to the old town before branching out. One-hour or 24-hour tickets can be bought on all modes of transport for
€1.70 and €3.50 respectively, while long-term tickets (e.g. weekly, monthly or yearly) must be bought at the train station or on Jakominiplatz. Tickets are valid on trams, buses, the Schloßberg funicular railway and on suburban rail services within zone 101 (which includes the airport). Furthermore there are seven nightbus routes, although these operate only at weekends and on evenings preceding public holidays.
From the train station, you can take regional trains to most of Styria. Direct trains also run to most major cities nearby including
Vienna,
Salzburg,
Innsbruck,
Maribor in
Slovenia,
Zagreb in
Croatia,
Prague in the
Czech Republic and
Budapest in
Hungary. Trains for Vienna leave every hour.
The
Graz Airport is about 10 miles south of the city centre and has a railway station within walking distance. The main international destinations from Graz are
London,
Oslo,
Frankfurt am Main,
Munich,
Stuttgart and
Düsseldorf.
*
Coventry (United Kingdom) since 1948 (Agreement, 1957)
*
Montclair (USA) since 1950
*
Groningen (Netherlands) since 1965
*
Darmstadt (Germany) since 1968
*
Trondheim (Norway) since 1968
*
Pula (Croatia) since 1972
*
Trieste (Italy) since 1973
*
Maribor (Slovenia) since 1987
*
Pécs (Hungary) since 1989
*
Dubrovnik (Croatia) since 1994
*
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former
bodybuilding champion, actor and current governor of
California. Born and raised in farming village called Thal, 2km from Graz. In
2005, the Graz football stadium named after Schwarzenegger was renamed
Stadion Graz-Liebenau after controversy over the use of the death penalty in California.
*
Friedrich St. Florian, Austrian-American architect.
*
Olga Neuwirth, one of the most important contemporary Austrian composers.
*
Nicolaus Harnoncourt, conductor known throughout the world for his performances of classical works on period instruments, was raised in Graz having been born in Berlin.
*
Jochen Rindt, the first Austrian
Formula 1 champion was raised in Graz by his grandmother.
*
Otto Wanz, former
professional wrestler who held the
AWA World Heavyweight Championship.
*
Wolfgang Bauer, Austrian writer.
*
*
City website*
City website*
Searchable map of Graz*
Graz Tourism Office*
KulturServerGraz Town's cultural portal*
Virtual reality 3D sightseeing tour of Graz*
Kunsthaus Graz (Modern Art House)*
Jazz Sommer Graz*
LaStrada - a street festival*
Pictures of Graz*
Pictures of Graz*
Diary of intimate journalist and mature photo model living in Graz*
Lokalguide (bars etc.) for Graz*
Pictures and sights of Graz*
Styria-Events.com - all about nightlife and parties in Graz*
springsix - festival for electronic art and music 2006 in Graz
