GRAZ, the capital of the Austrian province of Styria, pic turesquely situated on both banks of the Mur, at the opening of this valley into the broad and fertile basin known as the Grazer Feld. The town (pop., is enclosed on three sides by forested heights of the Styrian alps, a small outlier of which, the Schlossberg, dominates the old town on the left bank of the river. This height (1,545 ft. and about 3 5o ft. above the general level of the town), which can be ascended by cable tramway, was an important fortified stronghold from pre-Roman times, but since 1839 has been laid out with beautiful parks, and on its top is a bell-tower (115 ft.), and a clock tower (92 ft.). Fine panoramas are to be seen of the town, the Mur valley and the mountains, to the north the Schdckel (4,745 ft.), to the north-west the Upper Styrian alps, to the south-west the Koralps and to the south the Possruck. At the foot of the Schlossberg to the west lies the river and to the east the town park with many marble and bronze monuments.
In the old town cluster the principal buildings of note. The i6th century Landhaus in Renaissance style, the 17th century Zeughaus or arsenal, maintained as it was 2 5o years ago, with its rich collection of 15th-17th century weapons, and the 19th cen tury town hall in German Renaissance style and the 1 1 th century castle, now used as government offices, are worthy of mention. Amongst the many ecclesiastical buildings the most important is the 15th century cathedral of St. Aegidius, mainly in late Gothic, though later decorations and modifications in Baroque have altered the original purity of style. The interior is remarkable for its costly stained-glass windows, shrines and paintings. In the vicinity is the mausoleum church in Baroque style (1614-1714) Graz is rich in educational institutions, at the head of which is the university, founded in 1586 by the Austrian archduke Charles Francis and restored in 1827 after an interruption of 45 years. It is now magnificently housed with well-equipped laboratories and a rich library and is attended by over 2,000 students. There is also a technical college with more than i,000 students, founded in 1814 by the archduke John Baptist, who also founded the Joanneum museum (I 8 I I), which has extensive collections of antiquities and natural history specimens in its old building and in the new , collections illustrative of the development of Styrian culture.
The outer suburbs of the town include the numerous factories, and this is particularly true of those on the right bank of the river, between it and the railway. For its active trade three factors are responsible, viz., the local situation at the contact of mountain and fertile Tertiary downland, the position with refer ence to important routes from Danube to Adriatic and their branching towards the Hungarian plain, and the presence of good lignite in the vicinity (Kdflach). In addition to an active trade in the cereals, fruit and wine of the hill lands, large manufac tures have developed. Iron and steel works, physical and optical instrument factories, brewing, milling, leather and paper and cloth industries, the preparation of chemicals, printing and litho graphic trades and great railway workshops are amongst its major operations while visitors to the many interesting places and spas in the neighbourhood swell the growing volume of trade.
The early history of the town is obscure and it is first defi nitely mentioned in a document of A.D. 881, after which it be came the residence of the rulers of Styria. Its strength and importance in the 15th and i6th centuries are exemplified by successful resistances to Hungarian (1481) and Turkish (1529, 1532) attacks. Protestantism established itself early here (153o) and flourished until oppressive measures by the archduke Charles restored the authority of Rome. After a long and fairly quiescent period the town figured largely in the Napoleonic Wars, being held by the French in 1797 and again in 1805, while in 1809 the citadel on the Schlossberg was blown up by Marshal Macdonald in accordance with the terms of the peace of Vienna, only the bell-tower and clock-tower being left. The development of the town was most rapid during the i9th century, when it received many civic privileges through the interest of the archduke John.
See also STYRIA; G. Fels, Graz and seine Umgebung (Graz, 1898) ; J. Das Grazer Hi gelland (Vienna, 1921) .