Graz (;
Slovene:
Gradec, Prekmurian:
Gráca) is the
second-largest city in
Austria after
Vienna and the capital of the federal state of
Styria. It has a population of 291,574 as of 2009 (of which 255,354 have principal residence status).
Graz has a long tradition as a student city: its six
universities have more than 44,000 students. Graz's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe. In 1999, it was added to the
UNESCO list of
World Cultural Heritage Sites. Graz was sole
Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003.
Geography
The city is situated on the
Mur river, in the south east of Austria. It is approximately southwest of Vienna or 2.5 hours by train / 2 hours by car. The nearest larger
urban center is
Maribor in
Slovenia which is about away. Graz is the capital and largest city in
Styria, a green and heavily forested area.
Climate
Due to its position south east of the Alps, Graz is shielded from the prevailing westerly winds that bring weather fronts in from the
North Atlantic to north western and central Europe. Due to this factor the weather in Graz is
Mediterranean influenced. Graz therefore has more hours of sunshine per year than Vienna or Salzburg and also less wind or rain. Graz lies in a basin that only opens to the south, causing the climate to be warmer than would be expected at that
latitude. Plants are found in Graz that normally grow much further south. However, this milder, less windy climate is detrimental to the
air quality in Graz as it makes the city prone to
smog in winter. The exhaust fumes of the around 120,000 cars driven into Graz every weekday by people living in the surrounding areas, together with the car journeys made by the inhabitants of Graz itself, are the most significant source of
air pollution.
Neighbouring municipalities
The following towns and villages border Graz:
Districts
Graz is divided into 17 districts. They are:
350px|left|The 17 Districts of GrazI.
Innere Stadt (
3,302)
II.
St. Leonhard (
12,377)
III.
Geidorf (
19,119)
IV.
Lend (
22,369)
V.
Gries (
22,658)
VI.
Jakomini (
25,808)
VII.
Liebenau (
11,556)
VIII.
St. Peter (
12,809)
IX.
Waltendorf (
10,782)
X.
Ries (
5,789)
XI.
Mariatrost (
7,403)
XII.
Andritz (
16,316)
XIII.
Gösting (
9,227)
XIV.
Eggenberg (
16,467)
XV.
Wetzelsdorf (
12,225)
XVI.
Straßgang (
12,212)
XVII.
Puntigam (
6,248)
Population development
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. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students. At the end of 2006 there were 37,624 people with secondary residence status in Graz.
Population (with principal residence status) in the
agglomeration was approximately 320,000 at the end of 2006.
History
thumb|right|Landhausthumb|right|LandhausThe oldest settlement on the ground of the modern city of Graz dates back to the
Copper Age. However, there is no historical continuity of a settlement before the Middle Ages.
The name of the city, Graz ( see the slavic settlement
Grad), and some archaeological finds point to the erection of a small castle by South Slavic people, which in time became a heavily defended fortification. In literary
Slovene,
gradec literally means "small castle", which is etymologically a hypocoristic derivative of Proto-West-South Slavic *gradьcъ, itself by means of
liquid metathesis descending from
Common Slavic *gardьcъ, by
Slavic third palatalisation from
Proto-Slavic *gardiku (cf. Ancient Greek toponym ) originally denoting "small town, settlement". The name thus follows the common South Slavic pattern for naming settlements as
grad. 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 were 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.
Graz was also a city that famous astronomer
Johannes Kepler lived in for a short part of his life. There, he worked as a math teacher, but found time to study astronomy. He left Graz to go to
Prague when
Lutheran people were banned from the city.
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.
thumb|University of GrazNikola 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 Baroque 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. 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).
Main sights
thumb|centre|700px|A panoramic view of the old town from the Graz Schloßberg|-
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.
Old Town
|
thumb|250px|right|View of the Rathaus or City Hall at dusk.thumb|250px|right|Grazer Schloßberg (Castle mountain) with clock tower
The old town was added to the
UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 due to the harmonious co-existence of typical buildings from different epochs and in different architectural styles. Being situated in a cultural borderland between Central Europe, Italy and the Balkan States, Graz absorbed various influences from the neighbouring regions and thus received its exceptional townscape. Today the old town consists of over 1000 buildings, their age ranging from Gothic to Contemporary.
The most important sights in the old town are:
- Schloßberg, hill dominating the old town (475 m high), site of demolished fortress, with views over Graz.
- Uhrturm clocktower, symbol of Graz, on the top of Schloßberg.
- Neue Galerie . Museum of art.
- Schloßbergbahn, a funicular railway up the Schloßberg.
- The Landhaus, the building where the federal state parliament of Styria resides, a palace in Lombardic style. It belongs to the most important examples of Renaissance architecture in Austria and was built by the Italian architect Domenico dell'Allio between 1557 and 1565.
- The Schauspielhaus is the principal theatre,.
- Dom (cathedral), a rare monument of Gothic architecture. Once, there had been many frescos on the outer walls, today, there are only few remains, like the Landplagenbild ("picture of plagues") painted in 1485, presumably by Thomas von Villach. The three plagues it depicts are locusts, pestilence and the invasion of the Turks, all of them striking the town in 1480. It features the oldest painted view of Graz.
- Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II next to the cathedral, the most important building of Mannerism in Graz. It includes both the grave, where Ferdinand II and his wife are buried, and a church dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria.
- Burg (castle complex), with Gothic double staircase, built between 1438 and 1453 by Emperor Frederick III because the old castle on the Schloßberg was too small and uncomfortable. The Burg remained the residence of the Inner Austrian Court until 1619. Today, it serves as residence of the government of Styria.
- Gemaltes Haus ("painted house"), in Herrengasse 3. It is completely covered with frescos (painted in 1742 by Johann Mayer).
- Kunsthaus (museum of modern art).
- Murinsel, an artificial island in the Mur.
- Buildings, courtyards (e. g. Early Renaissance courtyard of the Former House of Teutonic Knights in Sporgasse 22) and roofscape of the old town.
Outside the Old Town
thumb|[[Schloss Eggenberg (Graz)|Schloss Eggenberg]]
- The Herz Jesu Kirche is the largest church in Graz with the 3rd highest spire in Austria, built in Gothic Revival style .
- Calvary Hill in the Gösting area of Graz with a 17th century calvary and church.
- The LKH-Universitätsklinikum, is the biggest hospital of Graz, it is the largest Art Nouveau building complex in Austria. It was built between 1904 and 1912. It is run by the state.
- Best viewpoints for vistas of the city are Ruine Gösting, hilltop castle ruins on northwestern edge of city, and Plabutsch/Fürstenstand, behind Schloss Eggenberg with a hilltop restaurant and viewing tower.
- The site of the former brewery Graz Reininghaus is currently the biggest privately financed city development project in Austria.
Within the greater Graz area
- Österreichisches Freilichtmuseum Stübing, an open-air museum containing old farmhouses/farm buildings from all over Austria reassembled in historic setting.
- Lurgrotte, the most extensive cave system in Austria.
- Lipizzanergestüt Piber, Lipizzaner stud where the famous white horses are bred.
- The Steirische Weinstrasse is a wine growing region south of Graz, also known as the "Styrian Tuscany".
- Thermenregion, spa region east of Graz.
- Riegersburg, a mighty fortress that was never taken. It was a bastion against historical Turkish invasions ,.
Culture
During 2003 Graz held the title of "
European Capital of Culture".
Museums
thumb|Kunsthaus GrazThe most important museums in Graz are:
- Neue Galerie visual arts from the 19th and 20th century.
- Natural History Museum exhibition of botany, mineralogy and zoology.
- Stadtmuseum Graz city museum.
- Grazer Kunsthaus museum of contemporary art.
- Camera Austria museum of contemporary photography.
- Landeszeughaus medieval armory comprising of 32,000 pieces of armour and weaponry, largest of its kind in the world.
- Volkskundemuseum museum of folklore.
- Diözesanmuseum museum of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Künstlerhaus museum of contemporary visual arts.
- Literaturhaus museum of contemporary German literature.
- Museum der Wahrnehmung museum of the senses, samadhi bath.
- Kindermuseum Frida&Fred museum for children.
- Tramwaymuseum 40 historic trams, the oldest dating from 1873.
- Kriminalmuseum museum of criminology.
- Luftfahrtmuseum (Graz airport) aviation museum.
- Hanns Schell Collection key and lock museum, largest of its kind in the world.
Architecture
thumb|right|upright|[[Herz-Jesu-Kirche (Graz)|Herz-Jesu-Kirche]]
There are currently 228 buildings in Graz that are classified as highrise buildings. In Graz a building is classified as being highrise if the floor of at least one room is 22 metres above ground level. Buildings that are classified as highrise have to adhere to much more stringent fire safety regulations because the ladders of the majority of fire appliances used by Graz Fire Brigade cannot reach higher than 22 metres.
In Graz there are some new high rise buildings in the pipeline, the only ones that currently (June 2009) are looking certain to be built are a 15 storey officeblock opposite the "Stadthalle" on the southern edge of the city centre and a 21 storey officeblock next to the urban motorway leading from the Graz Ost
Interchange (road) into town.
Transportation
thumb|Tram at JakominiplatzAn 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 six lines, two of which run from the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) to the old town before branching out. Furthermore, there are seven night-time bus routes, although these operate only at weekends and on evenings preceding public holidays.
The tram is also called "Bim".
From the main train station (Hauptbahnhof), regional trains link to most of Styria. Direct trains also run to most major cities nearby including
Vienna,
Salzburg,
Innsbruck,
Maribor and
Ljubljana in
Slovenia,
Zagreb in
Croatia,
Prague in the
Czech Republic,
Budapest in
Hungary and
Zurich in
Switzerland. Trains for Vienna leave every hour.
Graz Airport is about 10 kilometres south of the city centre and has a railway station within walking distance (east of the airport).
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Other forms of cooperation and city friendship similar to the twin city programmes:
Notable people
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, former bodybuilding champion, actor and current governor of California. Born and raised in the farming village Thal, 2 km 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, now it is called UPC-Arena.
- Olga Neuwirth, one of the most important contemporary Austrian composers.
- Nicolaus Harnoncourt,born in Berlin raised in Graz, a conductor known throughout the world for his performances of classical works on period instruments.
