The village of Thal bei Graz can be found less than two kilometres from the heart of Graz in Austria. This unassuming village of 2,138 people is the birthplace of California’s 38th Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He joins a long and distinguished list of people and events that have shaped the history of Graz.
For example, the city’s hilltop castle, Schloßberg, was the only fortification in the region that never fell to the Ottoman Turks. Napoleon also found its walls impenetrable. In 1809 French forces attacked the castle eight times without success. They finally entered its grounds when the Emperor of Austria surrendered at the Battle of Wagram, ordering forces across Austria to lay down their arms.
I finally got a chance to explore Graz myself last week, joining my parent and my brother Hamish and his family for a weekend outing. I flew into Vienna early evening on Friday and caught the train to Graz. The train journey takes less than two hours, winding through broad valleys and spectacular mountains. Unfortunately, much of the view was in darkness as I’d missed an earlier train from Vienna.
At one point I seriously began to doubt that I’d make it to Graz. I’d caught the lime green City Airport Train (CAT) into Vienna only to discover that the terminating station is not the departing station for trains to Graz. The station I needed was located on the south side of the city, not the east side I’d arrived at. Using some incredibly crude Deutsch I successfully commander a taxi and raced across town to Sudbanhof. This brief glimpse of Vienna reminded me how beautiful the city was, encouraging me to return for a proper look at a later date.
I reached Graz shortly after 10.30pm. Karin, Hamish and my parents were still up, waiting for my arrival. Hamish had booked us into a quiet
Guesthouse in a traditional Austrian building about 10 minutes walk from the station. The following morning we wandered through the town towards the River Mur. It was here that we encountered the first of several recent additions to the city’s landscape.
In 2003 the European Union designated Graz as the Cultural Capital of Europe. As is often the case, this recognition spurred a series of public projects. Two in particular stand out: Murinsel
(Mur Island) and Grazer Kunsthaus
(Modern Art Museum). Both are astonishing pieces of modern architecture standing in stark contrast to the traditional red-tiled roofs of the Old Town surrounding them.
Murinsel is a fascinating curving steel, artificial island anchored in the centre of the fast flowing Mur river. It consists of an open air amphitheatre and an enclosed café, sculpted into the shape of an open mussel shell. Between these venues sits a web of enclosed climbing ropes for children. My nieces, Stephanie and Nicole, happily scrambled through the blue web until it was time to move on.
On the day of our visit a giant cigarette dominated the amphitheatre promoting an anti-smoking message. From a distance, the effect was to simply convert Murinsel into an enormous ashtray. While the image was stark, it did spoil an otherwise stunning venue.
We wandered along the river bank encountering an unexpected gallery of entertainment; a climbing wall, colourful graffiti murals and even a city beach complete with sand deck chairs. The river walk also offers wonderful views of Mariahilferkuche, a 17th Century double-tower baroque church and the more recent Kunsthaus.
Designed by london architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, the Kunsthaus is either something you love or hate. It resembles a large bright blue slug topped with stumpy blue bristles, dominating the West bank of the Mur. Its bristles are in fact large portholes in the roof that bath the interior with natural light. A most unusual building.
We spent the remainder of the morning wandering through the old town. Highlights included the Hauptplatz and the Rathaus (central square and city hall), the Cathedral (build between 1438 and 1464) and the imposing wooden façade of Edegger-Tax, once an imperial court bakery. As we wandered, a wedding party dressed in traditional Austrian attire passed by, serenaded by a quartet of musicians.
From the old town we made our way past Schlossbergplatz, a narrow plaza extending from the main street toward the base of the Schlossberg hill. Here we found the Reinerhof, the oldest documented building in Graz. At the far end of the plaza a stunning hanging garden of winding stairways and curving balconies ascends the shear cliff face up to the Uhrturm clocktower, easily the most enduring symbol of Graz. We wisely decided to catch the nearby Schlossbergbahn, a cable car, to the top of the 472 metre hill.
The cable car ascends a gradient of 61%, affording a spectacular view of the city and its environs. The family spent a delightful hour touring the hilltop’s many sights before settling down for lunch at
Starcke Winzerhäuschen, a café offering stunning views of the River Mur and Graz below.
Equally stunning views were on offer at the nearby armory where restored canons stand guard over Graz. From here you could see the Kaunsthaus, Murinsel and, in the distance, Stadion Graz-Liebenau, formerly known as the Schwarzeneggar Stadium. Protests over California’s death penalty saw the stadium change its name in 2005.
However, the highlight of our hilltop excursion was the Clock Tower. Erected in the 13th century, its 5 metre wide face has been keeping time since 1712. I first saw the clock in 1990 when I stopped for lunch in Graz enroute to the former Yugoslavia. I never imagined I'd stand underneath its striking face 17 years later.
To reach the city, Mum, Dad and I took the winding stairway back to Schlossbergplatz while Karin and the girls caught a recently installed elevator that descends through the hill’s rocky interior. Surprisingly, this isn’t the only excavation through the hill. At ground level a sloping tunnel, light by only footlights, also crosses from East to West, with a series of side galleries along its length.
We learnt later that the entire complex was dug during World War II as an air raid shelter housing 50,000 people. One of the larger galleries has since been converted in underground bar and nightclub. Graz certainly proved to be a city of surprises.
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