Graz

Sister cities

• Pécs
• Trondheim
• Coventry
• Pula
• Ljubljana
• Montclair
• Timișoara
• Darmstadt
• Maribor
• Trieste

History

The oldest settlement on the ground of the modern city of Graz dates back to the Copper Age. However, no historical continuity exists of a settlement before the Middle Ages. The city was originally called "Bayrischgraz" or "Bavarian Graz" (i.e. German Graz) by the German founders to distinguish it from the elder "Windischgraz" or "Slovenian Graz". Bavarian Graz, however, soon eclipsed its Slovenian counterpart and henceforth Graz always referred to the German one. During the 12th century, 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, most of today's Slovenia, and parts of Italy (Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, Trieste). In the 16th century, the city's design and planning were primarily controlled by Italian Renaissance architects and artists. One of the most famous buildings representative of this style is the Landhaus, designed by Domenico dell'Allio, and used by the local rulers as a governmental headquarters. The University of Graz was founded by Archduke Karl II in 1585, it is the city's oldest university. For most of its existence, it was controlled by the Catholic Church, and 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 it was re-established as a university by Emperor Franz I, and was named 'Karl-Franzens Universität' or 'Charles-Francis University' in English. Almost 30,000 students…

Geography

Graz is situated on both sides of the river Mur in southeast Austria. It is about southwest of Vienna (Wien). The nearest larger urban centre is Maribor (Marburg) in Slovenia, which is about to the south. Graz is the capital of Styria and the largest city in the federal state, a green and heavily forested region on the eastern edge of the Alps. It is located in the Graz Basin and surrounded by mountains and hills to the north, east and west. The city centre sits at an elevation of , the highest point is Plabutsch mountain with at the western border. The mountain Schöckl is just a few kilometres to the north and surmounts the city by . Graz has an oceanic climate (Cfb), but due to the 0 °C isotherm, the same occurs in a borderline humid continental climate (Dfb) according to the Köppen climate classification. Wladimir Köppen himself was in town and conducted studies to see how the climate of the past influenced the Continental Drift theory. Due to its position southeast of the Alps, Graz is shielded from the prevailing westerly winds that bring weather fronts in from the North Atlantic to northwestern and central Europe. The weather in Graz is thus influenced by the Mediterranean, and it has more hours of sunshine per year than Vienna or Salzburg and also less wind or rain. Graz lies in a basin that is only open 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 temperatures: Graz Airport / Karl-Franzens University * average rainfall: with on average 92 days of rain (Karl Franzens University) * average hours of sunshine: 1,989 (Karl Franzens University) These towns and villages border Graz: * to the north: Gratkorn, Stattegg, Weinitzen * to the…

Most-observed species

• Asian tiger mosquito, Forest day mosquito

  Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) · Insecta
  2,930
• Asian Bush Mosquito

  Aedes japonicus (Theobald, 1901) · Insecta
  2,435
• Tree Hole Mosquito

  Aedes geniculatus (Olivier, 1791) · Insecta
  2,315
• Korean bush mosquito

  Aedes koreicus (Edwards, 1917) · Insecta
  2,229
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,214
• Roman Snail

  Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758 · Gastropoda
  1,984
• Harlequin ladybird, Asian ladybird, Asian ladybeetle

  Harmonia axyridis (Pallas, 1773) · Insecta
  1,972
• Common wall lizard

  Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768) · Squamata
  1,946

Most recent

• M 4 — 2024-02-01
  0 km NNE of Semmering, Austria
• M 4 — 2023-03-30
  1 km WNW of Buchbach, Austria
• M 3.9 — 2021-04-19
  3 km SW of Wiener Neustadt, Austria
• M 4 — 2021-03-30
  3 km NW of Lanzenkirchen, Austria
• M 4 — 2013-02-02
  6 km S of Sittersdorf, Austria
• M 4.2 — 2009-05-07
  Austria