It turns out that the word Graz comes from Slavic, which means small castle. It has a history of 900 years. Graz has gradually become a commercial center since the Babenburg family ruled. After the Habsburg family took control, the relatives of the royal family chose this city as their residence.
Graz covers an area of 126.6 km2, located at 47 05' north latitude and15 27' east longitude. The average altitude is 368 meters, 70 kilometers from Hungary and 40 kilometers from the Slovenian border. The urban climate is mild, with sunny days of 3 18 days throughout the year and average summer temperature of 19 degrees Celsius.
The city has convenient transportation, passing through Thalerhof airport, connecting with A2 and A9 expressway along the southern railway, and is located between Paso, Linz and Slovenia.
Graz, as the management center and government seat of Stail Mark, is also the production place of auto parts. It is the most important automobile industry center in Austria, and the famous Austrian automobile brand "Stail" comes from this city. Steel manufacturing, construction machinery, wine making and high-tech industrial center. There are more than 60,000 registered college students studying in three universities and technical colleges in Graz. Look at Graz University and Graz Technical University.
Graz, a Renaissance city, is the best preserved ancient city in Central Europe. Influenced by Italian style, urban architecture is permeated with a faint southern style. From 65438 to 0999, Graz was listed as a world cultural heritage. Visit the Graz Historical Center. Graz is also the birthplace of the famous conductor Carl Bohm and the famous movie star-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Graz, even for a senior European traveler, is a strange name-although Graz is the second largest city in Austria, this historic city in Central Europe is not even as popular as Innsbruck, the Austrian winter Olympic town.
For the Austrian, Graz has a different general meaning. For a long time, Austria has protected Graz as a "secret love"-if Vienna and Salzburg belong to international travelers, Graz is Austria's favorite city.
When I got off the tourist bus and stood in front of the Landhouse Palace in the center of Graz, I stared at the city for the first time. I suddenly understand why the Austrian people like this city: when the modern trams slowly pass by Hairen Street in front of me, the background is a well-preserved classical street, and between the baroque buildings with gray walls and red tiles, young Austrian men with blond hair and blue eyes shuttle in twos and threes in the brand shops on the street. At this time, street performers played melodious violins, which made them melancholy.
Walking in Graz, you will find this romantic atmosphere everywhere in the city: winding alleys, beautifully decorated courtyards and fantastic gardens-the old city of Graz has well preserved its ancient style. It is said that its basic layout was formed in 1 164, and it is the largest medieval inner city in Europe. No wonder walking on the narrow streets of Graz is easy to have the illusion of going back in time. If it weren't for the colorful underwear ads and all kinds of new cars everywhere, I really thought I had returned to Europe in the18th century!
The lucky Graz people are blessed by God. In Graz, you can enjoy 3 18 sunny days a year. It seems that Austria's love for Graz even touched God. ...
Under the infiltration of a long history, Graz's first impression seems to be quiet and orderly.
Graz is a famous historical city with mixed cultures-it is a hub from Central Europe to Southeast Europe, a trade center between Austria and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and a window for many Eastern European thinkers and artists to show themselves to the Western European continent. For hundreds of years, Graz has been a place where various European cultures and schools of thought meet, and Romans, Slavs and Germans have left footprints here.
However, in Graz, you don't seem to see this kind of cultural confusion or conflict. Although various cultural activities are held every year, from classical music, opera and drama to jazz and avant-garde art ... However, even the most unusual cultural performances will render an elegant romantic atmosphere in Graz, which may be another reason why Austria likes this city-Graz will always maintain a leisurely urban attitude no matter how the outside world changes.
Having said that, I have to review the history of Graz: this ancient city of Central Europe is located in a basin on both sides of the Muir River, a tributary of the Danube River in southeastern Austria. Graz was besieged by numerous powerful enemies, only at the end of 18 and the beginning of19 century, because it guarded the land transportation hub from the Hungarian Plain to the Adriatic Sea and the middle reaches of the Danube River.
Landhouse Palace, the starting point of our trip, is a witness to this tortuous history. The National Weapons Museum in Landhouse Palace has collected more than 30,000 rare and precious ancient weapons, which is said to be the largest collection of ancient weapons in the world. In fact, this was originally Zegehouse in Graz. Centuries ago, when the Ottoman army attacked, the army was concentrated here, and the reserves in the library could equip tens of thousands of troops.
However, despite the disaster of war, Graz unexpectedly maintained its elegant tradition: Graz not only preserved the most complete historical ancient city in Austria in frequent wars (Landhouse Palace itself is recognized as the most exquisite and well-preserved Renaissance building in the southern German-speaking area), but also retained the unique calm, peaceful and independent attitude towards life of Graz people.