"Graz "Metropolis Styriae"" a Graz Travel Page by stiriano

The name Graz comes from the Slowene Gradec, which means "little castle". With the time the german name changed into Graz. In Slavonic languages it is still called Gradec.

Whit it's 240.000 inhabitants Graz is the second city in Austria and the capital city of Styria.

Graz experienced the first bloom time in the year 1451, when Friedrich III of Habsburg, whos residence was Graz, was elected to be the Emporer of the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation". He also introduced the motto AEIO ("Austria rules the world").

The first university was foundet in 1585.

In 1619 the court moved to Vienna - Graz remained until 1749 capital city of Inner Austria (Styria, Carinthia, Krain, Görz and the coast area).

Today Graz is a commercial, cultural an university center with over 40.000 students.

The Kunsthaus was built for the Cultural Capital year 2003 by Collin Fournier and Peter Cook.

is the symbol of the city. The fortress on the Schlossberg was never taken, but destroyed by Napoleon in 1809, following the agreement of peace. The citizens of Graz saved the Uhrturm and the Glockenturm by paying more than 2.900 Gulden.