In the city of Graz, southeastern Austria

 “At the Winter Solstice, the wind is cold, trees are bare, and all lies in stillness beneath blankets of snow.”

— Gary Zukav
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(in southeastern Austria). Graz, this country's second-largest city (after Vienna), is its most relaxed and an instant heart-stealer, with abundant parkland, a sea of red rooftops, and a narrow rivergushing through its center. A beautiful bluff -- connected to the center by steps, a funicular, and a glass lift -- is the city's signature attribute. there is a youthful energy here, with several modern buildings, a vibrant arts scene, and an upbeat, student-fuelled nightlife. This extends to both sides of the Mur River.
+ Graz is known as a college and university city, with four colleges and four universities. Combined, the city is home to more than 60,000 students. Its historic Altstadt (Old town) is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe. In 1999, the city's historic center was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and in 2010 the designation was expanded to include Eggenberg Palace on the western edge of the city.

+ Graz lies between the Styrian Alps and a wide, fertile basin, the Grazerfeld, about 95 miles (155 km) south-southwest of Vienna. In the 9th century there was something of a fortress on the Schlossberg (Castle Hill), a rocky cone (470 meters high) that dominates the city. The name Graz is derived from gradec, a Slavic word meaning a "small fortress.” First mentioned around 1128–29, it received town rights about 1240 and became the center of Steiermark (Styria) during the Middle Ages and the residence of the Leopoldine Habsburgs after 1379. Its fortifications, built in the 15th–16th centuries, withstood numerous sieges by the Hungarians and the Turks. Protestantism was established in Graz about 1530 and flourished until oppressive measures by the archduke Karl of Inner Austria (Styria, Carinthia, Carniola) restored the authority of Rome. During the Napoleonic Wars, Graz was held by the French in 1797, 1805, and 1809. A trade center in the 17th and 18th centuries, it developed rapidly in the 19th century due to the interest of the archduke Johann, and was constituted a city in 1850.

+ The Schlossberg fortifications were blown up by the French in 1809, and the site was laid out with parks after 1839. The old clock tower (shown here) and the belfry (1588) survive as prominent landmarks. The most notable buildings in the city include the Renaissance Landhaus (the meetinghouse of the Styrian estates), the armoury, the Town Hall, the 11th-century castle (now used as government offices), St. Aegidius Cathedral, and the adjacent mausoleum of Ferdinand II (a native of Graz and Holy Roman emperor (from 1619–37).

+ Graz is home to many museums, including the Joanneum Provincial Museum (Steiermärkisches Landesmuseum Joanneum), founded in 1811 by the archduke Johann. The Kunsthaus (“Art Gallery”) is devoted to bodybuilder, actor, and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (a native of Graz).