Graz - History, Transportation

47°05N 15°22E, pop (2000e) 242 200. Capital of Steiermark state, SE Austria; on the R Mur, at the foot of the Schlossberg (473 m/1552 ft); second largest city in Austria; airport; railway; two universities (1585, 1811); outskirts heavily industrialized; iron, steel, coal, paper, textiles, chemicals, vehicles; opera house, Renaissance Landhaus (1557–65), Landeszeughaus (Provincial Arsenal), Gothic cathedral (15th-c); 28 m/92 ft-high clock tower (1561); Piber Stud Farm, where Lippizaner horses bred for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, 3·5 km/2 mi NE; Austrian open air museum at Stübing, 15 km/9 mi N; International Autumn Fair (engineering and production display, end Sep); Steirischer Herbst avant-garde festival (‘Styrian Autumn’, Oct–Nov).

Coat of Arms	Map
General information
Federal State:	Steiermark (Styria)
Bezirk:	Graz (Statutarstadt)
Area:	127.58 km²
Population:	248,146 (1 March, 2006) ~305,000 including suburbs
Population density:	2,362/km²
Elevation:	353 m
Postal code:	A-801x, A-802x, A-803x A-804x, A-805x
Area code:	+43 316
Location:	47°04′N 15°26′E
Community Identification Number:	60101
Address of the City Hall:	Rathaus A-8011 Graz
Website:	http://www.graz.at
e-mail:	buergerbuero@stadt.graz.at
Politics
Mayor:	Siegfried Nagl (ÖVP)
Map: Graz in Steiermark (Styria)

Graz [graːts] (Slovenian: Gradec IPA: /gra.deʦ/), with a population of 285,470 as of 2006 (of which 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). Graz's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe, and in 1999 was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. Graz was sole Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003. Graz is the capital and largest city in Styria, a green and heavily forested area. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students. In 2006 there were 37,324 people with secondary residence status in Graz (Graz: Stadtplanung und Stadtentwicklung, 2006).

History

Graz was originally the site of a Roman fort. 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.

Karl-Franzens Universität, also referred to as the University of Graz, is the city's oldest university, founded in 1585 by Archduke Charles II.

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. 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.

Graz lies in Styria, or Steiermark in German. Graz is home to the region's provincial armory, which is the world's largest historical collection of weaponry.

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. The fortress of Graz is seen as the strongest fortress ever built. 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 Franz Ferdinand was born in Graz, in what is now the Stadtmuseum (city museum).

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:, Schauspielhaus - principal theatre [Schauspielhaus:[Landhaus:, 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 - artificial 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:,, Basilika Mariatrost - late Baroque church, on the eastern edge of Graz [Basilika:,, Herz Jesu Kirche - largest church in Graz with the 3rd highest spire in Austria [Kirche:, 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

Österreichisches 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:,

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

Transportation

An extensive public transportation network makes Graz an easy city to navigate without a car.

Graz Airport is about 10 kilometres south of the city centre and has a railway station within walking distance. 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. 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.