Page 168 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

166  A USTRIA REGION b y REGION

famous Haus am Luegg with its
Renaissance and Baroque façade
decorations. To the north of the
square, at No. 4, stands Graz’s
oldest pharmacy, in a house
dating from 1534 with some
earlier features. The south side of
the square is occupied by the
neo-Renaissance town hall, built
in the 1880s. In the middle of the
square stands the fountain of
Archduke Johann, who
contributed much to the city’s
development. The four female
figures around it symbolize
Styria’s four main rivers: the Mur,
the Enns, the Drau and the Sann.
View of the city of Graz and Mur river from the Clock Tower E Universalmuseum
Joanneum
Exploring Graz Inside, the St James’s chapel dates Old Gallery in Schloss Eggenberg
The town is built on both banks from 1320–30, and there are also (see below). Tel (0316) 8017 9560.
of the Mur river; the Altstadt, with Gothic cloisters with beautiful New Gallery: Joanneumviertel
most of the tourist sights, is on tombstones. The interior was entrance Kalchberggasse. Tel (0316)
the left bank. It can be reached redesigned after World War II, and 8017 9100. Open 10am–5pm Tue–
by tram from the railway and bus the combination of the restored Sun. Schloss Eggenberg: Eggenberger
stations. The Island in the Mur is vault and modern stained-glass Allee 90. Open Apr–Oct: 10am–5pm
Graz’s newest attraction. windows with earlier details Wed–Sun; Nov–Mar: Sun & hols as part
of a tour. ∑ museum-joanneum.at
creates a very striking effect. Next
R Schlossberg to the church is a monastery The memory of Archduke
Hofgasse. with a distinctive tower. Johann remains alive in
At the north of the Altstadt rises Both the church and Graz to this day. The
the 473-m (1552-ft) high Schloss- monastery are in an grandson of Maria
berg. The top can be reached by a unusually shaped Theresa, he played
funicular or by a 20-minute walk. square, surrounded an important role in
The 28-m (92-ft) high Clock Tower by many interesting the political life of
(1561), one of the symbols of buildings with the country and
Graz, offers splendid views over Baroque façades. Ducal coronet from the participated in
the city. It houses a museum. Joanneum collection military campaigns,
P Hauptplatz until he finally
R Dom The triangular square at the heart settled in Graz to devote time to
Hofgasse. of the Old Town is an excellent his favourite pursuit of scientific
The cathedral is a former starting point for exploring the research. He founded the
castle church, built between city of Graz. It is surrounded by Technical University as well as
1439 and 1464 for Emperor many original town houses from the Joanneum, Austria’s first
Friedrich III. Its west portal bears different periods, including the public museum, which is named
the Emperor’s coat of arms and
his famous motto, AEIOU (see
p42). Originally, the cathedral
was built as a defensive church
on the outskirts of town. It has
survived almost intact to this day
and the interior still features some
original elements, including
Gothic frescoes showing life
during the plague, although
most of the decorations stem
from the Baroque period.
R Franziskanerkirche
Franziskanerplatz.
The church once belonged to the
Minorite Friars, but in 1515 it was
handed over to the Franciscans. Hauptplatz, the distinctive triangular main square in Graz’s centre
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp292–9 and pp310–25

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