Hotel Weitzer Graz
Graz - Grieskai 12-14
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Graz, the capital of Styria and Austria’s second largest city, is strongly attached to its traditions but is not afraid to be daring. In its historic centre, baroque, renaissance and jugendstil buildings, medieval charm and contemporary avant-garde styles coexist harmoniously.
Crossed by the river Mur and rich in green parks, it is a city that offers many opportunities for pleasant walks, while the shops in the centre are perfect for an afternoon of shopping; Graz is also a university town with a lively nightlife.
In 2003, Graz was the first Austrian city to be declared the European Capital of Culture, an occasion for which the best international talents were commissioned to design two works that reshaped the city’s profile, projecting it into a future of art and sustainability: the futuristic Kunsthaus and the bizarre Murinsel.
Pride in the past and confidence in the future are the hallmarks of this city that deserves more attention from foreign tourists: make a note of it because it is the ideal destination for a weekend full of things to see and do.
A walk through the centre of Graz is like a journey back in time, past Baroque and Renaissance buildings, bold works of contemporary architecture, quaint medieval streets and Jugendstil palaces. Some must-see attractions are located just outside the centre and are easily accessible by public transport.
Built over a thousand years ago, the castle that gives the city of Graz its name could be described more as a guardian of the city surrounded by greenery than a hilltop fortress. Look up to the overgrown hill beside the old city centre and you will see the city’s landmark Uhrturm tower, bastion, viewing terrace and restaurant popping up here and there among the trees.
After admiring it from below, climb to the top of the Schlossberg hill, an oasis of greenery and relaxation a stone’s throw from the city. The view of Graz from Schlossberg is unbeatable: keep your camera handy.
If you are out of breath, you can walk up a steep flight of steps to an altitude of 473m and then perhaps rest on a bench admiring the view; easier and quicker is to take the lift or the ultra-modern funicular railway, and no one forbids you to sit back and relax even if you have gone up by public transport!
Schlossberg in the history of Graz
The name of Graz derives from the Slavic word Gradec, meaning ‘small castle’, with which Schlossberg was once called.
The citizens of Graz are so fond of the Uhrturm tower that they paid Napoleon a large sum of money, 2987 guilders, to save it during the French invasion of 1809.
If Schlossberg is the romantic image of Graz’s past, Kunsthaus is the emblem of its modernity and propensity for the future.
Dubbed by locals as ‘the friendly alien’, it is the result of an ambitious contemporary architecture project by London architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier that saw the construction of a museum with an eccentric shape, vaguely resembling an enormous sea slug, in the heart of the old town, next to historical buildings of a completely different style. This surprisingly successful peaceful coexistence is one of the factors that makes Graz unique.
The Kunshtaus is one of the most modern museum venues in Europe: it hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art of the highest quality and organises workshops, meetings, debates and other events.
But its distinguishing feature is its roof, the ultra-modern BIX media façade, which with its 930 phosphorescent lights is used as a gigantic art installation in the heart of the city.
Another extraordinary work of contemporary architecture is the artificial island on the river Mur, designed by New York architect Vito Acconci .
It is an ultra-modern steel structure in the middle of the river, connected to the two banks by pedestrian walkways, which includes a cafeteria, an outdoor event space and a children’s play area.
This work has revitalised the river, now much less polluted than in the past, and its connection with the city. It was supposed to be a temporary structure, to be sold to another city after 2003, the year Graz was European Capital of Culture, but the citizens fell in love with it and now the Murinsel is another identity symbol of modern Graz.
It is worth stepping out of the centre of Graz for a moment to reach the castle of Prince Hans Ulrich von Eggenberg, the most important castle in the Styrian region.
It is a sumptuous Baroque palace built on an earlier Gothic building and designed as an allegory of the cosmos to indulge the prince’s desire for peace and harmony: there are numerous references to astronomy and astrology in its elegant rooms. It is interesting to take part in the guided tour to understand the complex symbolism of the decorations and to learn about the curiosities and eccentricities of the prince.
Eggenberg Castle today houses a museum with four collections: art from the Middle Ages to the Baroque, prehistory, Roman antiquities and coins.
Graz Cathedral (Dom zu Graz), built in the 15th century in late Gothic style, houses priceless art treasures. The single-nave interior preserves original Gothic frescoes from 1485 depicting the Plagues of Egypt and the Last Judgement, bearing witness to Styrian medieval religious art.
Adjacent is the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II, a masterpiece of Austrian Mannerism designed by Italian architect Pietro de Pomis between 1614 and 1638. The structure combines Italian architectural elements with local traditions, creating one of the most spectacular funerary monuments in Central Europe with its octagonal dome and richly decorated interior.
Today’s seat of regional government is the Burg, a 15th-century palace that mixes elements of Gothic, Renaissance and Biedermeier styles, but what makes it so special is the wonderful double-helix staircase.
Let yourself be captivated by this ingenious optical illusion: the famous staircase actually consists of two separate staircases that rejoin at each floor and then separate and rejoin again on the next floor.
It will not be difficult for you to spot the Palais Saurau, with its magnificent ornamental Baroque portal, but it is above all the figure of the Turkish soldier peeking out from under the roof of the palace that attracts the attention of passers-by.
It’s even easier to work out which of Graz’s many splendid palaces is the Gemaltes Haus (Painted House), a building with walls decorated with scenes from Greco-Roman mythology and a total of 220 square metres of frescoes! Try your hand at recognising the gods depicted on the walls of this wonderful building: can you see Zeus? Bacchus? Mercury? Minerva? And who else?
Don’t miss the carillon show at Glockenspielplatz: three times a day, the colourful figures of a young man and a maiden in traditional costume decorating the top of a stately home come alive in time to music.
It is an exciting and sweet experience that will transport you nostalgically back in time. And if you come to Graz in another season, come back to see it because the music is changed five times a year!
Armour and weapons from the Middle Ages onwards you may have already seen, but nothing compares to seeing 30,000 of them under one roof! This is the impressive number of armours and weapons stored at the Graz Armoury Museum, the largest museum of its kind in the world.
Housed in a five-storey building, it displays gleaming swords, spears, firearms, shields, complete suits of armour and many other objects used for defence or attack. The audio guide is available in several languages, while the guided tour is only available in German or English.
The Armoury Museum, like Schloss Eggenberg and Kunsthaus, is also part of the Universalmuseum Joanneum, an institution founded by Archduke John in 1811 that today runs 17 museums of all kinds in Graz and the surrounding area.
These include the Museum of Natural History, the Neue Galerie Graz dedicated to contemporary art and the Folk Life Museum, which exhibits everyday objects from the pre-industrial period.
The historic centre is an ideal choice for those wishing to immerse themselves in the authentic atmosphere of Graz, with boutique hotels in historic buildings and charming hotels within walking distance of the main attractions. The area around Herrengasse and Hauptplatz offers superior accommodation with refined amenities and views of the main sights.
The university area, bustling with students and young people, offers modern and inexpensive accommodation, hostels and family pensions ideal for smaller budgets. The quiet, residential Geidorf district provides modern hotels with excellent public transport connections.
Around the Eggenberg Palace, the district offers elegant accommodation in green surroundings with easy parking facilities for those arriving by car, while the central station area (Hauptbahnhof) is perfect for those using public transport, with business hotels and international chains providing high standards and fast tram connections to the centre.
Graz is easily accessible from Vienna (200 km), Salzburg (280 km) and the capital cities of neighbouring countries.Graz-Thalerhof Airport is only 10 kilometres from the city centre and is connected by the S5 railway line, which reaches the Hauptbahnhof central station in 12 minutes. Tickets cost EUR 3 for fare zone 101 and are also valid for city buses and trams.
The rail network provides excellent connections with modern Railjet trains connecting Vienna to Graz in 2 hours and 35 minutes from the main station, while connections to Salzburg take about 4 hours with a change in Linz. Nightjet night trains connect Graz with various European destinations, allowing for comfortable overnight travel. The Hauptbahnhof station is a 15-minute walk from the city centre and is served by tram lines 3 and 6.
By car, Graz can be reached via theA9 motorway from the north and south, and the A2 motorway from the west. FlixBus and other bus companies connect Graz with many European cities, stopping at the bus station at Hauptbahnhof.
The surroundings of Graz offer an extraordinary variety of landscapes and cultural attractions that can easily be reached within a day. Car hire in Austria is the ideal solution for exploring Eastern Styria and its many hidden wonders.
Riegersburg Castle, an impregnable 13th-century fortress dominating a volcanic rock 30 km from Graz, offers breathtaking views of Eastern Styria and houses museums dedicated to the history of witches and regional traditions. Admont Abbey, 100 km from Graz, houses the world’s largest monastic library with 70,000 historical volumes in an extraordinarily beautiful Baroque setting in the picturesque Gesäuse National Park.
Mariazell, an important pilgrimage destination with its Baroque basilica and famous high altar, is reached through the alpine landscapes of the Styrian Pre-Alps. The wine-growing region of Southern Styria, with its vine-covered hills and traditional wine cellars (Buschenschank), offers tastings of local wines and regional cuisine in bucolic settings.
The Dachstein, Styria’s highest mountain at 2,995 metres, offers unique experiences in the Dachstein Glacier Adventure World with suspended glacier walkways and spectacular Alpine panoramas. Bad Radkersburg, a spa town on the border with Slovenia, combines relaxation in the healing waters with walks through the perfectly preserved medieval town centre.
What's the weather at Graz? Below are the temperatures and the weather forecast at Graz for the next few days.
Graz is located in south-east Styria, 200 km from Vienna, 150 km from Ljubljana and 280 km from Salzburg. The city lies on the banks of the river Mur, surrounded by green hills.
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