- Page 1 - Old Town Walk The Old Town in Graz is one of the best preserved city districts in Central Europe. Recently, in 1999, Old Graz was added to the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. The main landmarks and most notable monuments in Graz are situated in this part of the city. Take this walk to learn more about beautiful Old Graz. Guide Location: Austria» Graz # of Attractions: 18 Tour Duration: 2 hour(s) Travel Distance: 2.3 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" downloadable on itunes App Store and Google Play. The app provides turn-by-turn GPS navigation to guide you from one tour sight to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Graz. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit https://www.gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Dom B) Mausoleum C) Katharinenkirche D) Burg E) Diocese Museum F) Glockenspiel G) Landhaus H) Landeszeughaus I) Gemaltes Haus J) Rathaus K) Franziskanerkirche L) Mursteg Footbridge M) The Island in the Mur N) Dreifaltigkeitskirche O) City Museum P) Lift im Berg Q) Museum of the Castle Garrison R) Uhrturm - Page 1 -
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- Page 7 - A) Dom (must see) The Dom, or Graz Cathedral, is said to stand on the location of an older church, which stood for more than 800 years. Emperor Frederick III built this beautiful cathedral, together with his wonderful residence in the city. Once, the exterior of the cathedral was covered with frescoes; one of the few that remains is the "picture of plagues" which depicts disasters that struck the city in 1480. The interior of the cathedral combines Gothic architecture with Baroque furnishings created by some of the finest local and foreign artists. Address: Burggasse 3, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Marion Schneider & Christoph Aistleitner B) Mausoleum (must see) The Mausoleum is the final resting place of Emperor Ferdinand II. Its construction was begun in 1614 under the direction of Ferdinand's Italian court painter, Giovanni Pietro de Pomis. The oval dome of the Mausoleum was the first of its kind built outside of Italy. The Mausoleum houses the remains of Emperor Ferdinand, his wife, his mother and one of his sons. Construction of the Mausoleum was incomplete at the time of Ferdinand's death in 1637 and it was not completed until the time of his grandson, Emperor Leopold I. Address: Burggasse, Graz, 8011, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andrew Bossi C) Katharinenkirche Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine's Church), together with the Mausoleum, form a beautiful architectural ensemble. The church was designed by architect Giovanni Pietro de Pomis in 1614. The Katharinenkirche building is one of the most important mannerist buildings in Austria. Address: Burggasse, 8, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and gugganij - Page 7 -
- Page 8 - D) Burg (must see) The Burg is a beautiful castle, situated in Old Town Graz. The castle was constructed for Emperor Maximilian I in 1499. It remained the seat of the inner Austrian court until 1619. The Burg contains a very unusual double-spiral staircase, called the Wendeltreppe. Today, the Castle serves as the seat for the governor of Styria. Address: Hofgasse 13, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Seha bs E) Diocese Museum The Diocese Museum invites its visitors to explore the history of and the present situation in Christianity. This museum's permanent collections contain many beautiful sacred artifacts. The Diocese Museum also organizes special education programs for children on regular basis. Operation hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm; Thursday: 10 am - 7 pm Address: Bürgergasse 2, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Jan Polack F) Glockenspiel (must see) The Glockenspiel is a beautiful musical clock that was installed in the house of Mr. Gottfried Simon Maurer in 1903. Three times a day, at 11am, 3pm, and 6pm, a carillon plays three different melodies and wooden statues of a couple in beautiful traditional costumes dance in the gable windows. Address: Glockenspielplatz 1, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Flickr and Iris Mjoll Olafsdottir - Page 8 -
- Page 9 - G) Landhaus (must see) Located in Herrengasse, in the heart of Graz, the Landhaus was constructed in 1557 by Italian architect Domenico dell Aglio. It was built to house the Styrian estates (parliament), and is still used for this purpose. The interior of Landhaus is decorated with beautiful Baroque furnishings. The session hall, called the Landstube, is famous for its stucco ceilings, designed by Johann Angelo Formentini. Also worth visiting is the Landhaus chapel, built in 1630-31. Address: Herrengasse 16, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andrew Bossi H) Landeszeughaus (must see) The Landeszeughaus is the largest existing original armoury in the whole world and attracts visitors from all over the world. It holds approximately 32,000 pieces of weaponry, tools, suits of armour for battle and ones for parades. The Landeszeughaus was built from 1642-1645 by a tyrolean architect called Antonio Solar. Styria desperately needed such a large armoury to host a massive amount of weaponry and armour for the defence of Styria against the invading Ottoman Empire. There was a defensive perimeter, 100 km south of Graz in nowadays Croatia/Hungary to defend Styria against the Turks. The weapons stored in the Landeszeughaus were needed in order to equip the soldiers at this perimeter. After about 100 years in use, Austrian empress Maria Theresia wanted to close down the armoury, because she centralised the defence of Austria. She wanted to bring all the weapons and armour to Vienna. Nevertheless the Styrian Estates managed to plead for the ongoing existence of the Styrian Armoury and if not for active use at least as a symbol for their struggle against the Turks and also for their achievements in defending not only Styria but Austria alike. "(The above description is based on Wikipedia under Creative Common License)" Operation Hours: Monday: 10 am - 5 pm; Wednesday - Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm; November - March: admission only with guided tour: Monday and - Page 9 -
- Page 10 - Wednesday Sunday: 1pm Address: Herrengassse16, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andreas Praefcke. Sight description based on Wikipedia. I) Gemaltes Haus Gemaltes Haus ("painted house") is located in Herrengasse 3. The house is completely covered with frescos. They were made in 1742 by Johann Mayer. Address: Herrengasse 3, A-8010 Graz, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Toffel. Sight description based on Wikipedia. J) Rathaus (must see) Designed by famous architects Wielemans and Reuter, the Rathaus (Town Hall) was completed in 1893. It is not only the seat of the city administration and mayor, but also features a beautiful open-air cafe and a number of shops. It is considered to be one of the most romantic places in Graz. Many wedding ceremonies take place here. Address: Hauptplatz 1, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andreas Praefcke K) Franziskanerkirche (must see) Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church), located in Franziskanerplatz, is considered to be one of the oldest churches in Graz. The church and monastery were begun around 1239 and were finally completed around 1277. The Franziskanerkirche bell, dating to 1272, is also one of the oldest bells in city. On entering Franziskanerkirche, the visitors are impressed by the harmonious combination of Gothic architecture and 20th century works of art. - Page 10 -
- Page 11 - Address: Franziskanerplatz, 14, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Amos Schmidt L) Mursteg Footbridge Constructed in 1992 by Günther Domenig and Hermann Eisenköck, the Mursteg Footbridge is a strikingly modern steel suspension bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. It connects the two shores of the Mur River, showing a notable elevation difference. The bridge is a blend of innovative engineering and aesthetic design. Address: Mursteg Footbridge, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Marion Schneider & Christoph Aistleitner M) The Island in the Mur (must see) The Murinsel, or the Island in the Mur, is actually not an island at all, but an artificial floating platform in the middle of the Mur river. This landmark was designed by New York artist Vito Acconci on the occasion of Graz becoming the 2003 European Capital of Culture. The building in the form of a giant seashell measures 50m in length by 20m in width. Two footbridges connect it with the opposite banks of the Mur. The center of the platform forms an amphitheater. Below a twisted round dome are a café and a playground. "(The above description is based on Wikipedia under Creative Common License)" Address: Kaiser Franz Josef Kai, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Georg Mittenecker. Sight description based on Wikipedia. - Page 11 -
- Page 12 - N) Dreifaltigkeitskirche Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Holy Trinity Church) is a Roman Catholic church, which is located between Schlossbergplatz and Murkai in Sackstrasse. The church was built in the Italian Baroque style between 1694 and 1704. Adjoining the church are a monastery and school. The church is located just a few minutes walk from the Murinsel. Address: Sackstrasse, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Andi oisn O) City Museum Situated on Sackstrasse, the City Museum is one of the most famous museums of Graz. It chronicles the city's history, as well as features photo exhibitions by such talented artists as Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Theodore Kollek, Erich Fried and Sir Karl Popper. Operation hours: Tue, Wed, Fri-Sun: 10.00-18.00; Thu: 10.00-21.00; Monday: closed Address: Sackstraße 18, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Flickr and athopy P) Lift im Berg Reiner Schmid, architect of "Dom im Berg," designed the speediest means to reach the top of the Castle Mountain (Schlossberg), the glass-enclosed elevator known as the "lift im Berg." To construct the lift, which has a rise of 77 meters, 5,000 cubic meters of material were removed from the mountain. Address: Schloßbergplatz, 1, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Jean François Riemer - Page 12 -
- Page 13 - Q) Museum of the Castle Garrison The Museum of the Castle Garrison is one of the city s largest and it provides a great opportunity to explore the military history of Graz, the site of many battles and sieges, from the middle ages through the Napoleonic wars. Its military exhibits include an extensive collection of Austrian uniforms. Address: Schlossberg, Kanonenbastei, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Wolfgang Hunscher R) Uhrturm (must see) The Uhrturm (Clock Tower) is one of the most beautiful and romantic places in Graz. Situated on the top of Schlossberg (castle mountain), the tower was first constructed in the 13th century; the current version dates to the mid-16th century and the clockworks where added in 1712. Three bells ring from the Clock Tower. Couples often come here to enjoy the beautiful panoramic views. Near the Uhrturm there is a café with views over the old town. Address: Schlossberg, Kanonenbastei, Graz, 8010, Austria Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and KarlN. Sight description based on Wikipedia. - Page 13 -