Inner City Walking Tour, Graz

In the middle of the Graz Old Town on the left bank of the Mur lies the Hauptplatz (main square), with a statue of the popular Archduke Johann (1782-1859) who did much to encourage industry to come to this backward region and also to improve communications and trade.

On the southern side of the Graz main square stands the Rathaus (1888-93), and at the northern end, on the corner of Sporgasse, the 17th C. Haus am Luegg with its attractive arcaded and stucco-decorated facade.

To the west of the Graz main square is the Gothic Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche), founded by the Minorites and later owned by the Franciscan order. Its west tower was added in 1643, and the Late Gothic nave has a ribbed vault ceiling. The Chapel of St Anthony inside, separated from the church proper by a Baroque grille (1650) and a pietà (c. 1720) on the altar are worth seeing.The Franciscan church is one of the prime attractions in Graz.

ATTRACTION IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED.The gallery houses contemporary art collections and paintings as well as collections of photos, videos and films.

Sackstrasse No. 18 in Graz houses the Graz Municipal Museum (Stadtmuseum). Adjoining it are a Pharmaceutical Museum and a Robert Stolz Museum; this Austrian composer was born in Graz in 1880 (died in Berlin in 1975).The museum hosts regular special exhibitions.

The Herrengasse (a pedestrian precinct) which runs southeast from the Hauptplatz, boasts many handsome old mansions. At No. 3 is the Painted House (Gemaltes Haus), with frescos of 1742.

On the Herrengasse (No. 16) in Graz stands the Landhaus, built in Renaissance style in 1557-65 by Domenico dell'Allio. Once the meeting place of the old Styrian Estates, it now houses the Styrian County Council. The main facade is dominated by rounded windows and a loggia; the arcaded courtyard has three-storied pergolas on two sides and a Renaissance fountain, while in the Knights' Hall there is a splendid stucco ceiling of 1746.

To the south of the Landhaus on Graz's Herrengasse will be found the Landeszeughaus (Provincial Arsenal, 1642-44), with a unique store, completely preserved, of 17th C. arms and armor, including items from the time of the Turkish wars (equipment for 28,000 men, including armor, helmets and state weaponry).The arms, armor and state weaponry often include excellent examples of the textile arts.

Opposite Graz's Landeszeughaus stands the Gothic parish church (Stadtpfarrkirche), built in 1519, with a Baroque facade added in 1742. The most attractive piece inside is the "Ascension" (Assunta) by Tintoretto above the Johann Nepomuk altar. The stained-glass (1953) in the choir illustrates the Passion of our Lord.

To the right of the Graz town parish church, in a street named after him, will be found the house in which the great Baroque architect Fischer von Erlach was born in 1656. He designed the high altar in the church of St Catharine and in the mausoleum in Graz.

The Graz Herrengasse ends at the Platz am Eisernen Tor, with a column bearing a figure of the Virgin (Mariensäule, 1665-71). To the south lies the spacious Jakominiplatz, where the newer part of the town begins.

To the west of Graz's Platz am Eisernen Tor, in Neutorgasse, is the Landesmuseum Joanneum, endowed by Archduke Johann in 1811. The collections, spread over several floors, include a natural history department (geology, zoology, botany, etc.), and one devoted to art and applied art. The latter, known as the Alte Galerie, has some magnificent exhibits, including the Admont Madonna (c. 1320), the Lambrecht votive tablets (c. 1440), Baroque sculptures and paintings.