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Tuorist place in Graz |
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| Tuesday, 01 April 2008 | |
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 The old capital of Styria and Austria's second largest town, Graz is the economic and commercial focus of the whole region. It lies on the River Mur, which here emerges from a narrow defile to enter the fertile basin known as the Grazer Feld. Above the town is a prominent hill, the Schlossberg. Graz, the seat of the provincial government and a major industrial town, has a University, a  To the south of the Landhaus on Graz's Herrengasse will be found the Landeszeughaus (Provincial Arsenal, 1642-44), with a unique store, completely preserved, of 17th C. arms and armor, including items from the time of the Turkish wars (equipment for 28,000 men, including armor, helmets and state weaponry).The arms, armor and state weaponry often include excellent examples of the textile arts. At Stübing, on the right bank of the Mur by way of the northwestern suburb of Gösting (18th C. Schloss), will be found the very interesting Austrian Open-Air Museum (Österreichisches Freilichtmuseum), with old peasant houses, barns and mills from the various Austrian provinces. It can be reached from Graz by bus. 10km/6mi further north, at Peggau, is the Lurgrotte, a stalactitic cave through which flows a small stream. To the west of Graz's Platz am Eisernen Tor, in Neutorgasse, is the Landesmuseum Joanneum, endowed by Archduke Johann in 1811. The collections, spread over several floors, include a natural history department (geology, zoology, botany, etc.), and one devoted to art and applied art. The latter, known as the Alte Galerie, has some magnificent exhibits, including the Admont Madonna (c. 1320), the Lambrecht votive tablets (c. 1440), Baroque sculptures and paintings. On the Herrengasse (No. 16) in Graz stands the Landhaus, built in Renaissance style in 1557-65 by Domenico dell'Allio. Once the meeting place of the old Styrian Estates, it now houses the Styrian County Council. The main facade is dominated by rounded windows and a loggia; the arcaded courtyard has three-storied pergolas on two sides and a Renaissance fountain, while in the Knights' Hall there is a splendid stucco ceiling of 1746.35km/22mi west of Graz lies the little mining and industrial town of Voitsberg (394m/1,293ft; pop. 10,000) with its ruined castle above and the charming Kainachtal to the northwest. 6km/4mi further west is Köflach (449m/1,473ft; pop. 13,000), and a good 3km/2mi northeast of Köflach the Piber Stud Farm, where the famous Lipizzaner horses are bred for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna (conducted tours daily in summer). The horses originally came from Spain and were later bred in Lipica in Slovenia; hence their name. The Schloss (1696-1728) has a beautifully arcaded courtyard, and the adjoining Romanesque church is first mentioned in the records in 1066.  On a hill about 3km/2mi west of Graz stands Schloss Eggenberg (1625-35), a Baroque domain with four towers, fine state apartments containing murals, and rich Roccoco fittings. The walls and ceiling of the banqueting hall, a masterpiece of Baroque architecture, are painted with the signs of the zodiac and the planetary system.Enjoy chamber music by candlelight in the state room of Eggenberger Castle, Monday nights at 20:00 from the end of July to the middle of September.The reception room is known as the Room of the Planets. It includes a suite of 24 rooms decorated by Styrian artist Hans Adam Wissenkirchen.Above the Graz old town rears the Schlossberg (473m/1,552ft), which can be ascended by funicular (three minutes; departing from Kaiser-Franz-Josef-kai) or on foot (20-25minutes).
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