|
Graz & Freetime activities
|
|
Graz with a population of around 290,000 as of 2008, is the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna and the capital of the federal state of Styria (Steiermark in German).
Graz has a long tradition as a student city: its six universities have over 44,000 students. Graz's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe.
The old town was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 due to the harmonious co-existence of typical buildings from different epochs and in different architectural styles. Being situated in a cultural borderland between Central Europe, Italy and the Balkan States, Graz absorbed various influences from the neighbouring regions and thus received its exceptional townscape. Today the old town consists of over 1000 buildings, their age ranging from Gothic to Contemporary.
In the last few years some groundbreakingly modern new public buildings have been erected in the city. The most famous of these include the Kunsthaus (house of modern art) designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, a museum constructed right next to the river Mur, and the "Murinsel" (island in the Mur), an island made of steel, situated in the river. It was designed by the American architect Vito Acconci and contains a café, an open-air theatre and a playground.
An extensive public transportation network makes Graz an easy city to navigate without a car. The city has a comprehensive bus network, complementing a tram network consisting of six lines, two of which run from the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) to the old town before branching out.
Graz Airport is about 10 kilometres south of the city centre and has a railway station within walking distance (east of the airport).
|
