The fascinating and romantic Graz. Styria, Austria

content:
photos:
Vote this travel review

For those who decide to plan a car trip to Vienna, is almost essential to provide a stop in Graz (preferably including the night), a beautiful city of about 230,000 inhabitants, the ancient Roman capital of Lower Austria already and now capital of Styria, European Capital of Culture for 2003, nicely crossed the river Mur and the old town with a beautiful and meaningful so that UNESCO has classified a World Heritage Site.

A city of the Habsburg Empire that has preserved not only buildings, monuments, historic sites, but above all a relaxing and other times, you can breathe (and dare I say almost "touch") especially walking in the main square (the Hauptplatz ) and the beautiful old town. It 'the most romantic city in Austria and, as rarely happened to me, I fully agree with this definition.

Despite having over 230,000 inhabitants, Graz is quiet, no traffic asphyxiating, comfortable to travel without special noise and an urban structure with that, even in the peripheral part of the latest expansion, alternate constructions residential parks and gardens that make it particularly pleasant to visit. A worthy capital for a region like that Styria for three-quarters is covered by forests, meadows, vineyards, pastures and forests.

The best way to visit the city is done using public transport. The service is very good, allows you to easily reach all points of the city and the frequency of trips is so high that in practice almost no waiting time. Seeing, then, all the bikes that run for Graz is almost spontaneously think of a noleggiane and run with that. I think with a little 'attention is possible to reach any unto the city by public transport, but if for other purposes or for convenience we choose to use a taxi, the service is very good and the prices reasonable racing .

Obviously the most interesting part of Graz is the old town that extends mostly along the river Mur and where the most interesting places to see:
- The Cathedral, built in 1438 on the initiative of Frederick III, in Gothic
- The Palazzo del Municipio nell'Hauptplatz
- The Burg, which is the current headquarters building of the Regional Government of Styria.
- The House, a beautiful Renaissance-style palace with a beautiful main courtyard with three orders of arcades, designed by an Italian architect in 1500, present site of the Regional Council.
- The Palace of the Opera, with a very pretty facade, built in the late 1800s.
- The garden and the castle of Eggenberg, built in 1600 and with the characteristic of having 365 windows, as many as the days of the year.

A particular deserves the Schlossberg, one of the most interesting places in Graz is a fortress situated on a green hill at the center of the city, reached by a staircase or more conveniently with an elevator or the funicular railway, and from which has a splendid 360 ° panorama of the city itself and the surrounding area. Interesting is also the Clock Tower built in 1382 and considered the symbol of Graz

If you have time, there are also numerous museums that deserve to be visited, among which I would point out the most curious and interesting:
- The Botanical Gardens, whose greenhouses are considered true examples of contemporary architecture.
- The Museo Civico (Stadtmuseum) at Palazzo Khuenberg in Sackstrasse, which represented the history of the city (admission 5.00 euros).
- The Arsenal of Styria (Landeszeughaus), in which the end of 1600 had kept the weapons and armor to be used in case of war. A place where they are kept about 30,000 armor and the essence of which is to be left as it was at the time, but has been transformed into a real museum (admission 4.50 euros).

There are also other museums curious, but often the limited time does not allow you to visit, as the tram museum, that dell'Aeronautica, Art Gallery, the Institute of Archeology, the Provincial Museum (Landesmuseum), the Museum Diocesan Gallery Doll. For the record, there is the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum, dedicated to the applicant and current governor of California, was born in Graz, and in which is shown his film career.

But even the mere stroll to Graz is very pleasant and interesting. In Carillon Square (Glockenspielplatz), three times a day you have the spectacle of two figures emerging from the tower and dancing to the sound of musichetta. Very picturesque fruit and vegetable market of the Kaiser Joseph Platz. Valuable architecture Luegg House at the corner of the Hauptplatz and Sporgasse, one of the most beautiful streets for shopping, together with the Sackstrasse (famous for its antique shops and the beautiful baroque palace Attems) and Hofgasse (which also has the Hofbakerei Edegger-Tax, a supplier of bakery pastry imperale home since the end of 1500).

The cuisine of this region has a few dishes worth tasting: the chicken fried and boiled meat served with a sauce very tasty prepared based Kren. For the rest of the usual Austrian cuisine with the first classic wiener schnitzel (breaded cutlet) and the inevitable goulash that can be tasted in one of the many restaurants there are in town. Restaurants of all kinds and for all the bags, but united by a common denominator: a good service, good food and reasonable prices (most restaurants offer a fixed-price menu).

Even on this occasion we stayed in Graz Indeed, from Milan to reach Vienna, Graz is the ideal spot for a break being 680 km from Milan and 200 from Vienna. As in other occasions we have booked to Romantik Parkhotel (Leonhardstrasse 8, phone 00 43 316 3630), an excellent four stars, in a very quiet central area, equipped with every comfort (gym, swimming pool, sauna), an excellent restaurant, rooms spacious and tastefully decorated, at a price of 140.00 euros per night for a double, including breakfast buffet. The first time we chose this hotel because it included in the "Austria for Italy" (ie Hotel, which speaks Italian), and because we have always found it very well.

In conclusion Graz consider a very nice city and worth a visit with a certain calm. A city not only of history but also an important industrial and university city, which has developed into an enjoyable preserving the characteristics of green city that had made famous.

Graz is located along a highway from the Italian border in Tarvisio door in Vienna and can be reached after passing the city of Villach and Klagenfurt. From Italy there are also flights from airports in Milan, Florence and Rome Ciampino to that of Graz, only a few kilometers from the city and connected with a regular bus service.