Graz - Municipal Park Stadtpark

The Graz Stadtpark, at the eastern end of the Opernring (with its modern opera house), was laid out in 1869 on the site of the old fortifications. In the park stands the Emperor Francis Joseph Fountain surrounded by numerous figures and monuments, including a marble statue (by Kundmann, 1887) of the writer Anastasius Grün (1806-76), a bust (by Pirker, 1965) of the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), a marble statue (by Hellmer, 1900) of Mayor Moritz von Franck (1814-95), a marble statue (by Kundmann, 1904) of the writer Robert Hamerling (1830-98) and a marble bust (by Gasser, 1859) of the great German dramatist Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805). At the end of the 1950s a body of artists of all kinds was formed which used to meet in a cafe in the park; as a result the club became known as the Forum Stadtpark. The works of the writers concerned attracted much attention.