View of the Rathaus or City Hall at dusk.

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. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex 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. The word " Schloßberg " literally means " Castle Mountain " which describes it exactly
• 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. Ferdinand II Holy Roman Emperor ( July 9, 1578 &ndash February 15, 1637) of the House of Habsburg, reigned as Ferdinand II Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It includes both the grave, where Ferdinand II and his wife are buried, and a church dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria.
• Rathaus (toontown).
• 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. Frederick III of Habsburg ( September 21 1415 &ndash August 19, 1493) was elected as German King as the successor of 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. The Murinsel ( German, literally Mur island) in Graz, Austria, is actually not an island at all but an artificial floating platform in the
• 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

Herz-Jesu-Kirche

• Schloß Eggenberg a Baroque palace on the western edge of Graz with State rooms and museum [8],[9],[10]. The Herz-Jesu-Kirche is the largest church in Graz, Austria. It was designed down to the last detail by architect Georg Hauberrisser and constructed from
• Basilika Mariatrost a late Baroque church, on the eastern edge of Graz [11],[12],[13]. The baroque Mariatrost Basilica on top of the Purberg hill in Graz - Mariatrost is one of the most famous Pilgrimage sites of Styria / Austria
• The Herz Jesu Kirche is the largest church in Graz with the 3rd highest spire in Austria, built in Gothic Revival style [14]. The Herz-Jesu-Kirche is the largest church in Graz, Austria. It was designed down to the last detail by architect Georg Hauberrisser and constructed from
• 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. The grounds of the former Reininghaus brewery covering 50 hectares represent the largest undeveloped area near the center of Graz, Austria ’s second largest city

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 Lipizzan or Lipizzaner ( Slovene Lipicanec) is a breed of Horse closely associated with the Spanish Riding School
• 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. Riegersburg is a municipality in the district of Feldbach in Styria, Austria. It was a bastion against historical Turkish invasions [15],[16].

Culture

During 2003 Graz held the title of "European Capital of Culture". The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one Calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its

Museums

Kunsthaus Graz

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. The Kunsthaus Graz, Grazer Kunsthaus, or Graz Art Museum was built as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 and has since become
• 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.
• AIMSMidsummernightsconcerts, 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.
• Grazer Orgelfest organ concerts held in different churches and on different organs of Graz.
• 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.

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.

Tramway network 1997.

Health services

In Graz there are 8 hospitals, 6 private clinics, 44 pharmacies and 2 ambulance services.

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 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.

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. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Innsbruck is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol in western Austria. Maribor (historical German name de ''Marburg an der Drau'' is the second largest City in Slovenia. Ljubljana ( is the largest and Capital city of Slovenia. It is located in the center of the country and is a mid-sized city of some 270000 inhabitants Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Zagreb (ˈzɑːgrɛb is the Capital and the largest city of Croatia. Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation 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). Graz Airport, also known as Thalerhof, serves Graz, Austria. Location and runways Location 46°59´37"N 15°26´24"E 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. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the Girona ( Catalan: Girona ʒiˈɾonə Spanish: Gerona xeˈɾona is a city located in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway.

Sister cities

• Coventry, United Kingdom, since 1948 (Agreement, 1957)
• Montclair, New Jersey, 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
• Saint Petersburg, Russia since 2001
• 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. Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Montclair (mɒnʔ kɫeɚ or maŋ kleɚ is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Groningen is the capital city of the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. (Trondhjem is a city and municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Pula (Pietas Iulia Pulj Istriot Pula; Pola is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Trieste (Trieste Slovene and Croatian: Trst; German: Triest) is a city and port in northeastern Italy very near to Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Maribor (historical German name de ''Marburg an der Drau'' is the second largest City in Slovenia. Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Pécs, (IPA, approximate pronunciation Pitch known by alternative names) is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located in the south-west of the country close Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending ||-||-||-||-||-||-||} Dubrovnik (ˈdǔbro̞ːʋniːk Dalmatian: Ragusa; Latin: Ragusium, also Rhausium, Rhaugia; Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between Banja Luka or Banjaluka ( Cyrillic: Бања Лука ˌbaɲaˈluːka is the capital and the largest Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ( German ˌaɐnɔlt aloʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənɛɡɐ born July 30 1947 is an Austrian American Bodybuilder, Actor Bodybuilding is the process of maximizing Muscle hypertrophy. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Born and raised in the farming village Thal, 2 km from Graz. Thal bei Graz (meaning Thal near Graz ( pronounced) is a small village in Austria, and a suburb of 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. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. History Originally the stadium was named after Bodybuilder and governor of the U
• Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, architect of the Baroque period. Fischer von Erlach links here For other uses see Fischer von Erlach (disambiguation. Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical
• 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). Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann ( February 20, 1844 &ndash September 5, 1906) was an Austrian Physicist famous for his founding The University of Graz ( German, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz) a University located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest The University of Graz ( German, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz) a University located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest
• Robert Stolz, Austrian composer and conductor. For the Swedish football defender see Robert Stoltz. Robert Elisabeth Stolz ( August 25, 1880 &ndash June 27
• Friedrich St. Florian, Austrian-American architect. Friedrich St Florian (born 1932 is an Austrian American Architect.
• Olga Neuwirth, one of the most important contemporary Austrian composers. Olga Neuwirth (born August 4, 1968 in Graz) is an Austrian Composer.
• Nicolaus Harnoncourt,born in Berlin raised in Graz, a conductor known throughout the world for his performances of classical works on period instruments. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Nikolaus Harnoncourt ( Count Johann Nicolaus Graf de la Fontaine und
• Jochen Rindt, the first Austrian Formula 1 champion raised in Graz with his grandmother. Karl Jochen Rindt ( April 18, 1942 - September 5, 1970) was a German - Austrian racing driver
• Otto Wanz, former professional wrestler who held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. Otto Wanz (born June 13 1943) is a former Professional wrestler. Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff The American Wrestling Association (AWA World Heavyweight Championship was the highest ranked championship in the now defunct American Wrestling Association.
• Wolfgang Bauer, Austrian writer.
• Werner Schwab, playwright and visual artist. Werner Schwab ( February 4 1958 - January 1 1994) was an Austrian Playwright and visual artist
• Bernd Brückler, professional ice hockey player
• Thomas Vanek, professional hockey player, born in Baden bei Wien, raised in Graz. Bernd Brückler (born August 26 1981 in Graz, Austria) is an Austrian professional Ice hockey Goaltender. Thomas Vanek (born January 19, 1984 in Baden bei Wien, Austria) is an Austrian ice hockey player Baden is a Spa town and medieval city in Lower Austria, Austria, 26 kilometres south of Vienna, with a population of 25207 (2005
• Helmut Marko, former racing driver
• Markus Schopp, midfielder for MLS side Red Bull New York
• August Musger, inventor of the slow motion technique in cinema. Dr Helmut Marko (born April 27, 1943 in Graz) is a former Racing driver from Austria. Markus Schopp (born February 22, 1974 in Graz, Austria) is a retired Austrian football Midfielder. Major League Soccer ( MLS) is the top-flight professional Soccer league in the United States and Canada with 14 teams 13 in the U Red Bull New York is an American professional soccer organization based in New Jersey that fields a team in Major League Soccer called the Professor August Musger ( February 10, 1868 - October 30, 1929) was an Austrian priest and physicist who is best remembered for his
• Karl Böhm, an Austrian conductor. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Karl August Leopold Böhm ( August 28, 1894 &ndash
• Lili Novy, Slovenian poet. Lili Novy nee Haumeder ( 24 December 1885 - 7 March 1958) was a Slovene Poet and Translator of Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west

References

• Graz: Stadtplanung und Stadtentwicklung (Rechnungshofbericht, 2006) in German (PDF) (2006). Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian

External links

Official websites

• Graz travel guide from Wikitravel
• City website (German) (English)
• Searchable map of Graz
• Graz Tourism Office
• (German) KulturServerGraz Town's cultural portal
• tramway in Graz

Cultural activities

• Kunsthaus Graz (Modern Art House)
• Jazz Sommer Graz
• LaStrada - a street festival
• 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

History

• Jews in Graz. Expelled 1439 - returned 1447 - expelled 1496 - returned 1783 - holocaust (from Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971)

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