- about the city

Graz has more to offer and not just this year when it is the designated cultural capital of Europe. Graz is the city I was born in and the city I love. Why? Because Graz is more than just Vienna’s little brother...

When you find a nice spot to relax on the Schlossberg and look out over Graz, you might think it is just a normal small city with beautiful roofs and a handful of churches. Wrong!

Graz has more to offer and not just this year when it is the designated cultural capital of Europe. Graz is the city I was born in and the city I love. Why? Because Graz is more than just Vienna’s little brother. Graz has so many facets that it defies categorisation. Sightseeing, shopping, cultural centre and student bastion are just a few of the facets that immediately to come to mind for those who know Graz. With more than 40,000 students, Graz is quite definitely a vital and lively city. In all the great haunts around the university you can get a friendly drink and chat with like-minded people any time of the night and day.

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But it isn’t just the students that make the city what it is. It is the unique atmosphere in the air when strolling through downtown Graz in the summer. Comparisons with Italian cities come to mind. After all, the genuine Grazers live their summers outdoors, at one of the countless cafes. What could be nicer than a cup of coffee, a cigarette, chatting with friends and watching the people flow by.

Although there are a number of shopping towns around Graz, a shopping spree in downtown Graz is something you won’t want to miss. The countless shops here have something for every taste and budget.

Graz was the cultural capital of Europe in 2003, a fact you were not likely to miss. No matter how you came to Graz, by train, car or plane, the bright 03 logo in green and blue and the installations of the arts scene prepared you for what awaited you in the city. Instead of boring museums there were exhibitions you would want to see twice. Exhibitions with intriguing names like “Phantom of Lust” or “Tower of Babel”, unconventionally done and offering anything but dusty museum fare.

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You won’t find a museum atmosphere in the “Mountain of Memories” exhibition either. Hundreds of Grazers have made available their personal memories for this project. The Grazers themselves have made this exhibition what it is. You find out so many things you would never find in a guidebook. For example, that Kurt Cobain played in Graz in front of a crowd of 50 people in the early 1980s when Nirvana was still an unknown band and that he ate his Wienerschnitzel without rice. The venue of this impressive exhibition is the tunnel system in Graz’s Schlossberg. As you can see, the slogan used in advertising the cultural capital is as apt as can be: “Graz – Now who would’ve thought!?”

A full day of sightseeing is best ended on the Mur Island. Looking out on the not yet completed Kunsthaus, you can process all your many impressions of this city and prepare yourself for an exciting dive into Graz’s scintillating nightlife.

Barbara Kranz, EURplace26 Participant, 2003