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'Graz' [graːts] (etymologically from Slovenian: ''Gradec'' IPA: /gra.deʦ/, "little castle"), with a population of 287,723 as of 2006 (of which 250,099 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).
Graz has a long tradition as a student city: its six universities have over 40,000 students. Graz's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centers 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.

Contents

Geography

Climate

Neighbouring municipalities

Districts

Population development

History

Main sights

Old Town

Outside the Old Town

Within the greater Graz area

Culture

Museums

Festivals

Venues

Architecture

Health services

Transportation

Sister cities

Famous people

References

External links

Geography

The city is situated on the Mur river, in the south east of Austria. It is approximately 120 miles 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 30 miles 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.

★ average temperatures: Graz Airport 8.7°C / Karl-Franzens University 9.4°C

★ average rainfall: 818 mm with on average 92 days of rain (Karl Franzens University)

★ average hours of sunshine: 1,890 (Karl Franzens University)

Neighbouring municipalities

The following towns and villages border Graz:

★ to the North: Gratkorn, Stattegg, Weinitzen

★ to the East: Kainbach bei Graz, Hart bei Graz, Raaba

★ to the South: Gössendorf, Feldkirchen bei Graz, Seiersberg

★ to the West: Attendorf, Thal, Judendorf-Straßengel

Districts

Graz is divided into 17 districts. They are:

I. Innere Stadt

II. St. Leonhard

III. Geidorf

IV. Lend

V. Gries

VI. Jakomini

VII. Liebenau

VIII. St. Peter

IX. Waltendorf

X. Ries

XI. Mariatrost

XII. Andritz

XIII. Gösting

XIV. Eggenberg

XV. Wetzelsdorf

XVI. Straßgang

XVII. Puntigam

Population development

Year	Population
1900	168,808
1951	226,476
1961	237,080
1971	249,089
1981	243,166
1991	237,810
2001	226,244
2006	250,099

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. [1][2]
Population (with principal residence status) in the agglomeration was approx. 320,000 at the end of 2006.

History

The 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, and some archeological finds point to the erection of a small castle by South Slavic people (namely Slovenians), which in time became a heavily defended fortification. In Slovenian, 'gradec' literally means "small castle". 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.
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 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. 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).

Main sights

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

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 Gallerie '. 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 'Landeszeughaus', armoury, the largest of its kind in the world [3],[4].

★ The 'Schauspielhaus' is the principal theatre[5][6],[7].

★ '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.

★ 'Rathaus' (Town Hall).

★ '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 totally 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

★ 'Schloß Eggenberg' a Baroque palace on the western edge of Graz with State rooms and museum [8],[9],[10].

★ 'Basilika Mariatrost' a late Baroque church, on the eastern edge of Graz [11],[12],[13].

★ The 'Herz Jesu Kirche' is the largest church in Graz with the 3rd highest spire in Austria, built in Gothic Revival style [14].

★ '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 private owned 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 [15],[16].

Culture

During 2003 Graz held the title of "European Capital of Culture".

Museums

The most important museums in Graz are:

★ 'Alte Galerie' paintings and sculptures from the Romanesque to the end of the Baroque period, coin museum and regular exhibitions.

★ '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.

Festivals

Many festivals take place throughout the year such as:

★ 'styriarte' theatre and music festival.

★ 'steirischer herbst' contemporary art festival.

★ 'Jazz-Sommer Graz'

★ 'Eggenberger Schlosskonzerte' classical music concerts in banqueting hall of Eggenberg Palace.

★ 'AIMS'Midsummernightsconcerts, classical music concerts by overseas music students.

★ 'Classics in the City' classical concerts held in old town courtyards.

★ 'vokal.total' choir festival and A Cappella competition.

★ 'Diagonale' festival of Austrian film.

★ 'LaStrada' street/puppet theater festival.

★ 'springfestival' festival for electronic art and music.

★ 'elevate' the Schloßbergfestival. (festival for contemporary music and political discourse).

★ 'Festival des Trigitalen Films'
Some of these events can be visited for free.

Venues

The most important art/music venues in Graz are:

★ 'Stadthalle Graz' exhibition center.

★ 'Oper Graz' opera house.

★ 'Schauspielhaus' principal theatre.

★ 'NextLiberty' youth theatre.

★ 'Orpheum' music/stand up comedy venue.

★ 'Grazer Congress - Stephaniensaal' classical music venue/ballroom.

★ 'Helmut-List-Halle' music arena.

★ 'Grazer Stadtmuseum' city museum/art venue.

★ 'Dom im Berg' contemporary music venue/art venue.

★ 'Schloßbergbühne Kasematten' music/theatre venue, open-air stage and auditorium in remains of underground vaults dating from 1578.

★ 'p.p.c.' (project pop culture) contemporary music venue.

★ 'Explosiv' contemporary music venue.

★ 'Kulturhaus' art venue.

★ 'Postgarage' contemporary music venue.

★ 'Generalmusikdirektion' contemporary music venue.

★ 'Forum Stadtpark' contemporary art venue.

Architecture

★ 'Highest Buildings'
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.

	Name or Address	Completion	Usage	Height / Storeys
1.	Herz-Jesu-Kirche	1887	church	109 metres
2.	Elisabeth Hochhaus	1964	residential	75 metres / 25 storeys
3.	Kärntnerstrasse 212, Liebenauer Hauptstrasse	1968 & 1955	residential	69 metres / 21 storeys
4.	Franziskanerkirche	1240	church	69 metres
5.	Hafnerriegel	1960	residential	61 metres / 19 storeys
6.	St. Peter Pfarrweg, Kindermanngasse, Hanuschgasse	1970s	residential	55 metres / 17 storeys
7.	Vinzenz Muchitschstrasse, Ungergasse, Kärntnerstrasse 216, Eggenbergergürtel	1970s	residential	52 metres / 16 storeys

In Graz there are a some new high rise buildings in the pipeline, the only one that currently (July 2007) is looking certain to be build is a 15 storey officeblock opposite the "Stadthalle" on the southern edge of the city centre. The construction of this officeblock is to commence in June 2008.

Health services

In Graz there are 7 hospitals, 6 private clinics, 44 pharmacies and 2 ambulance services.

★ 'LKH-Universitätsklinikum Graz' public university hospital with 1556 beds and 7190 staff

★ 'LKH-West' public hospital with 280 beds and 500 staff

★ 'Landesnervenklinik Sigmund Freud Graz' public psychiatric hospital with 880 beds and 1100 staff

★ 'Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder 1' public hospital with 225 beds

★ 'Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder 2' public hospital with 260 beds

★ 'Krankenhaus der Elisabethinen' public hospital with 80 beds

★ 'Geriatrisches Krankenhaus' public hospital with 304 beds

★ 'Privatklinik Kastanienhof'

★ 'Privatklinik Leech'

★ 'Privatklinik der Kreuzschwestern'

★ 'Sanatorium St. Leonhard'

★ 'Hansa Sanatorium Graz'

★ 'Privatklinik Graz-Ragnitz'

★ 'Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund' ambulance service

★ 'Rotes Kreuz' ambulance service

★ 'Ärztenotdienst' out-of-hours emergency GP service

Transportation

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 main train station (Hauptbahnhof) 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 €3.70 respectively, while long-term tickets (e.g. weekly, monthly or yearly) must be bought in the Hauptbahnhof 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 main train station (Hauptbahnhof), you can take regional trains 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). The non charter flight international destinations from Graz are Berlin, Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt/Main, London, Munich, Stuttgart, Zurich, Girona/Barcelona (from 8/11/2007) and Oslo.

Sister cities

★ 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

★ Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Other forms of cooperation and city friendship similar to the twin city programmes:

★ Niš, Serbia

Famous 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.

★ Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, architect of the Baroque period.

★ Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist, Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Graz (1869), chair of Experimental Physics at the University of Graz (1876-1890).

★ Robert Stolz, Austrian composer and conductor.

★ Friedrich St. Florian, Austrian-American architect.

★ 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.

★ Jochen Rindt, the first Austrian Formula 1 champion raised in Graz with his grandmother.

★ Otto Wanz, former professional wrestler who held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship.

★ Wolfgang Bauer, Austrian writer.

★ Werner Schwab, playwright and visual artist.

★ Thomas Vanek, professional hockey player, born in Baden bei Wien, raised in Graz.

★ Helmut Marko, former racing driver

★ Markus Schopp, midfielder for MLS side Red Bull New York

References

★ Graz: Stadtplanung und Stadtentwicklung

External links

★

★ City website

★ Searchable map of Graz

★ Graz Tourism Office

★ KulturServerGraz Town's cultural portal

★ Graz Tourism Tourist attractions in Graz

★ 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

★ Pictures and sights of Graz

★ springfestival website - the portal to annual websites for the festival for electronic art and music in Graz

★ elevate - festival for contemporary music and political discourse

★ Graz Metroblog - people from Graz blog about what's going on in the city

★ A business trip to Graz - Photos and other info

★ tramway in Graz