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Graz Attractions and Things to See

Graz, Austria, is the second biggest city in the country, and the capital of the federal state of Styria, with a long history of being a student city, with six universities that instruct more than 44,000 students, and its famous "old town" is one of the finest preserved centers in Central Europe, being more significant to the Slovenes that Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, for culture and politics, even today. In 1999, the city would be added to the list of UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage Sites, and enlarged in 2010 to include the Eggenberg Castle. It was the single Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003 and would get the title of a City of Culinary Delights in 2008. Sitting on the Mur River in the southeast region of the country, it is about 120 miles southwest of Vienna, but the closest urban center is Maribor, Slovenia, that is only 31 miles away; but it is the capital for Styria, a land filled with magnificent forests and green spaces. The oldest settlement discovered on the land around the city dates back to the Copper age, that is sometime between the Neolithic and Bronze age, that could be sometime between 8000 and 3500 BC. since discoveries of tools and weapons have been uncovered in various parts of the world, much earlier than originally believed. Nevertheless, there isn't much historical continuity between then and the Middle Ages, with some significant archaeological excavations finding that a small castle had been constructed by Alpine Slavic people, that would grow into a heavily fortified structure, and the first mention of Graz would be in 1128 under the Dukes of Babenberg that would cause the city to grow into an important commercial center, and when the Habsburgs took it over, in the late 13th century, it would get special privileges from King Rudolph I.
The old town includes fabulous historical buildings with various architectural styles and include; the Rathaus or town hall, the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II next to the Dom or cathedral, that is the most significant structure of Mannerism in the city, Schlossberg the old hill that looks down on the city where a demolished fortress existed, the Schauspielhaus, the main theater for plays, Neue Galerie or the Museum of Art, the Landhaus that is a palace constructed in the Lombardic style and now is home to the federal state parliament, and one of the most prominent examples of Renaissance architecture in the country, constructed by Italian architect Domenico dell'Allio between 1557 and 1565, the Operhause that is the main venue for ballet, opera and operetta performances, and the Landeszeughaus that is the biggest armory of its type in the world. Other famous and beautiful sites include the Murinsel, an artificial island in the midst of the Mur River, Burg a castle complex with a magnificent double staircase constructed between 1438 and 1453 by Emperor Frederick III, the Kunthaus that is the museum of modern art and many structures and courtyards in the old area of the city. Outside the city are another half dozen marvelous attractions, and in the greater Graz area, another half dozen. The city is home to more than two dozen fantastic museums, filled with the most incredible antiquities in the world, and some of the tallest buildings in the country. There are so many historically significant structures located here that a family or even single person couldn't visit them all in a month, and costing a year's salary for many people to accomplish it all.
It is a splendid city for sites, sights, sounds and aromas, that waft through the air as you wander the streets, almost mesmerizing in their unique aromas, and if you are hungry, then look out, because you'll find more than you could ever have imagined. There are many local culinary cafes and restaurants that will surprise you as you enter from the street and find you have walked into a local homey place to eat the finest local cuisines that you'll ever find. The city has great Italian ristorantes, Spanish and Latin American cuisine, steaks cooked in Texas style or Argentina, with a few Brazilian places, seafood, Mediterranean foods, cafes, coffee shops, bakeries, dessert shops and so much more that you'll not go hungry for any kind of delicacy or food stuff.