According to the latest population statistics, Graz is the district in Austria that is growing the fastest after Vienna. No wonder: the capital of Styria is lively, pulsating, creative, playful, wild. The people here seem more casual than in Vienna or Salzburg. The atmosphere is light and Mediterranean. The old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture as well as Habsburg historicism, has picturesque alleys, courtyards and squares, coffee houses, wine bars, pubs, quaint inns and innovative restaurants. Whether schnitzel variations, fried chicken, mushroom goulash or runner bean salad with pumpkin seed oil, everyone will find their happiness here. The special charm: The river Mur runs rapidly through the center, which can be experienced directly not only in the Augarten, but also in the middle of the center on the Mur Island, a modern suspension bridge with a floating glass-steel shell, whose café invites you to linger. The landmark of Graz is the Schlossberg with its impressive clock tower. The former fortress grounds serve as a local recreation area with panoramic views, accessible via stairs, funicular or elevator. You can also go down by slide.
Cultural paradise
There is a concentration of art here, for example in the Kunsthaus, which simply makes you happy with its biomorphic architecture and the strong profile of the exhibitions. Equally worthwhile are the Neue Galerie and the Bruseum in the Joanneumsviertel museum quarter, which is dedicated to the Viennese actionist Günter Brus. For music lovers, Graz is an El Dorado, even beyond the opera house. The Graz Philharmonic Orchestra, the Recreation Orchestra, the Cantando Admont choir and the Art House 17 ensemble play in the Stefaniensaal and the Minoritensaal. In the summer, the Styriarte festival attracts people to Graz, and weeks later the ORF Music Protocol at the Steirischer Herbst.
