Facts about Graz
Graz, with a population of 287,723 as of 2006 (of which 250,099 have principal residence status) is the second-largest Austria city after Vienna. It is also the capital of the federal state of Styria. Graz has a long tradition as a student city: its six universities have over 40,000 students.[2006] Graz's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe. In 1999, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. Graz was sole Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003. The city is situated on the Mur river, in the south east of Austria. It is approximately 140 km southwest of Vienna or 2.5 hours by train / 2 hours by car. Graz is also the largest city of Styria. The weather in Graz is Mediterranean influenced. Graz has more hours of sunshine per year than Vienna or Salzburg and also less wind or rain. Graz lies in a basin that only opens to the south, causing the climate to be warmer than would be expected at that latitude. Plants are found in Graz that normally grow much further south. Average hours of sunshine in Graz are 1,890. Average rainfall in graz is 818 mm with on average 92 days of rain. Graz is divided into 17 districts. In 1900, the population of Graz was 168,808, after almost a half century the population of Graz reached 226,476. In 1961, the population of Graz reached 237,080. In 1971, Graz's population was 249,089. Later the population of Graz started decreasing and it was 243,166 by 1981, it decreased more and reached 237,810 in 1991. In 2001 the population of Graz was 226,244. In 2006, the population of Graz was 250,099. At the end of 2006 there were 37,624 people with secondary residence status in Graz. The oldest settlement on the ground of the modern city of Graz dates back to the Copper Age. The name of the city, and some archeological finds point to the erection of a small castle by South Slavic people (namely Slovenians), which in time became a heavily defended fortification. In Slovenian, 'gradec' literally means "small castle". The German name 'Graz' was first used in 1128, and during this time dukes under Babenberg rule made the town into an important commercial center. Later Graz came under the rule of the Habsburgs, and in 1281 gained special privileges from King Rudolph I. In the 14th century Graz became the city of residence of the Inner Austrian line of the Habsburgs. The royalty lived in the Schloßberg castle and from there ruled Styria, Carinthia, and parts of today's Italy and Slovenia (Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca). Graz was also a city that famous astronomer Johannes Kepler lived in for a short part of his life. There, he worked as a math teacher, but found time to study astronomy. He left Graz to go to Prague when Lutheran people were banned from the city. Karl-Franzens Universität, also referred to as the University of Graz, is the city's oldest university, founded in 1585 by Archduke Charles II. Karl-Franzens Universität was closed in 1782 by Joseph II in an attempt to gain state control over educational institutions. Joseph II transformed it into a lyceum where civil servants and medical personnel were trained. In 1827 Karl-Franzens Universität was re-instituted as a university by Emperor Franz I, thus gaining the name which means 'Charles-Francis University. Nikola Tesla studied electrical engineering at the Polytechnic in Graz in 1875. Nobel Laureate Otto Loewi taught at the University of Graz from 1909 until 1938. Johannes Kepler was a professor of mathematics at the University of Graz. Erwin Schrödinger was briefly chancellor of the University of Graz in 1936. Adolf Hitler was given a warm welcome when he visited in 1938, the year Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany. Hitler promised the people of Graz 1,000 years of prosperity and an end to mass unemployment: only 7 years later the Graz resistance surrendered the city to Soviet troops sparing Graz any further destruction. In Graz there are 8 hospitals, 6 private clinics, 44 pharmacies and 2 ambulance services.[2006] |
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