Austria Österreich

GRAZ

Graz is the capital of Styria (in German Steiermark). This second largest city in the Republic of Austria has around 280,000 inhabitants. Thus, it is the largest city on the River Mur. The river is about 450 km long and flows continue to Slovenia and Croatia. Nearby is the larger town of Marburg (Maribor) in Slovenia. It is just 50 km south of Graz. This proximity connects the cities more and more. The two cities maintain cultural and economic relations. Graz was in 2003 Cultural Capital of Europe, winners of the Europe price and the price climate protection (Greenpeace, 1993) and besides, this old town is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1999) and a human rights city.

Graz is located about 150 km southwest of Vienna and has 17 city districts, where almost everywhere is numerous Italian-influenced buildings from the 16th and 17 Century. Especially in the inner city boroughs, there are also works from the 20th Century. But the Herz-Jesu-Kirche (1881) was the brickwork in neo-Gothic style. In the Landesmuseum Joanneum e.g. are countless works of art: Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, German and Italian Renaissance, etc. In addition, there are different works, other collections and, art works.

Graz is a city with its own statute. That means for the city that it therefore is both town and district. To compare this peculiarity would with the similar Czech cities. The largest, contiguous, 3000-year-old city in Europe is surrounded by mountains in all three directions. The in northwest of Graz lying mountain Plabutsch is 754 metres, the highest mountain of this statute. The Platte and Leechwald are natural beauties for excursions. Plabutsch serves as a sports and recreation area under the name Natur Erlebnispark Plabutsch . The Grazer Bergland is a part of the Alps and in the north of Graz. The beautiful mountain landscape with the river Raabfluss, offers recreation and pure nature. Lake for swimming - and snow for skiing, and much more.

Graz is a major university city. The first university was already built in the year 1585 by Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria. There are also Education houses, adult education, technical colleges, universities, conservatories, libraries, bio catalysis competence centre, research centres, institutes, etc. Some Grazer companies have their headquarters in Graz resigned. And more important and significant subsidiaries of major international companies, such as Roche, Siemens and Daimler are also in Graz.

The city has an amphitheatre, playground, art house, opera, caf , mausoleum, palaces and castles, hunting castle, churches, synagogues, more than ten museums, monuments, fountains, exhibitions, events, the Grazer Annual Autumn Fair and other trade fairs in the Exhibition Centre of Graz, numerous festivals, historic streets and roads, bicycle paths, recreation centres, architectural houses and buildings, open-air museum, beautiful gardens and parks, modern tram, rail network (also including to Switzerland to Hungary and more places and to the neighbouring cities), the third largest airport in Austria, clubs and associations: popular include: Football, hockey, Ultimate Frisbee, Trail Running, jogging, marathon, swimming in swimming baths or swimming pools, beach volleyball, soccer, mini-golf, cycling, mountain biking, paddle, and much more. Graz also has several medal winners at the Olympic Games and a world-famous actor and governor of California: Arnold Schwarzenegger, born in 1947 in Thal. Thal is also in Styria like Graz.