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I couldn't remember why I picked Graz as a stop. One reason might have been that we wanted to visit Styria in general, since we haven't yet been there, but why pick Graz and stay for two nights - that will forever stay a mystery to me.
Graz is a small town, both literally (the name means "small town" in Slavic languages) and by population (about 300,000 in 2014), which does not prevent it from being a second-largest town in Austria and being for centuries more important for Slovenes than their capital Ljubljana.
The town left a mixed feeling of surprise and desolation. It was Sunday, everything was closed, there were few people on the streets, and the town itself didn't look very touristic or lively. Graz is famous for being the City of Design and indeed there were quite a few interesting buildings. Next to a church (below) sat a very peculiar cat:
Another famous design element is the artificial island on the river Mur in the center, called simply Murinsel ("Murisland").
... and imagine how little Arnold ran around the wheat and corn fields.
The small walk led us to a local church, which turned out to be the landmark of the day. Built in 1618, rebuilt and completely redesigned in 1992-94 according to design of the painter Ernst Fuchs. I have never seen churches like this. Judge for yourself:
- The route
- Day 1. Die Hängebrücke
- Day 2. Conquering two peaks
- Day 3. Glacier lakes and a small miracle
- Day 4. From the top of the mountain to the depth of the earth
- Day 5. Berchtesgaden. Rossfeld route. Malenwinkler rund.
- Day 6. Klagenfurt
I couldn't remember why I picked Graz as a stop. One reason might have been that we wanted to visit Styria in general, since we haven't yet been there, but why pick Graz and stay for two nights - that will forever stay a mystery to me.
Graz is a small town, both literally (the name means "small town" in Slavic languages) and by population (about 300,000 in 2014), which does not prevent it from being a second-largest town in Austria and being for centuries more important for Slovenes than their capital Ljubljana.
The town left a mixed feeling of surprise and desolation. It was Sunday, everything was closed, there were few people on the streets, and the town itself didn't look very touristic or lively. Graz is famous for being the City of Design and indeed there were quite a few interesting buildings. Next to a church (below) sat a very peculiar cat:
Another famous design element is the artificial island on the river Mur in the center, called simply Murinsel ("Murisland").
It didn't raise to expectations though - looking slightly unkempt and too simple to be a landmark. A couple of other funny things found today: a table supported by slippers, cafe welcoming "owls" ...
... a graffiti on a hot topic ...
... and a town core (claimed to be located in the geometric center of Graz):
The Old Town of Graz is one of the best preserved in Central Europe, although the town was bombed in WWII. It is known for its Schlossberg hill formerly hosting a castle (Schloss), Clock Tower with a small quirk and a double-spiral staircase in one of the buildings.
There are tunnels inside the hill under Schlossberg, built as bomb shelters during WWII. They are easily accessible and also feature a lift taking you up to Schlossberg without much hassle.
From the top of the hill there are nice views to Graz with its "well yards" resembling those of Saint-Petersburg.
At one point it felt like we were back in Tallinn, with Viru hotel sticking out of sea of Old Town rooftops.
But the main pleasant surprise was not in Graz itself, but in a small village 10 km from it, called Thal, a birthplace of Arnold Schwarzenegger. There is a museum in his house, but the leaflet in the Tourist information office bluntly lied about its' opening times, so we were late and could only enjoy the entrance to the house...
... and imagine how little Arnold ran around the wheat and corn fields.
The small walk led us to a local church, which turned out to be the landmark of the day. Built in 1618, rebuilt and completely redesigned in 1992-94 according to design of the painter Ernst Fuchs. I have never seen churches like this. Judge for yourself:
With this the day was over. Tomorrow a trip lies ahead over the mountains to Melk Abbey.
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