Long Description:
Try to find the Uhrturm at the
Grazer Schloßberg and take a picture of you and the tower for your
log!!
Graz [graːts]
(Slovenian: Gradec IPA:
/gra.deds/), with a population of 300,000 (in 2005) is the
second-largest city in
Austria 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 55,000 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
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.
History
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 Ruldoph 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. Hitler was given a
warm welcome when he visited in 1938, the year Austria was
anexed by Nazi Germany. He promised the people of Graz 1000
years of prosperity and an end to mass unemployment. About 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 pesantry 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. 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 Rome.
Archduke Franz
Ferdinand was born in Graz, in what is now the Stadtmuseum
(city museum).
Notable citizens
More (incl. Tourist-) information
you can get here.
Happy waymarking
Ras Tafari
