Comenius-Project
SARAH – Science Around Us Along History
Meeting report 3 Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule, Bundeshandelsakademie für Berufstätige
Graz April 27 – Mai 1, 2014
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Table of contents
1.
INTRODUCTION
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2.
PARTICIPANTS FROM PARTNER COUNTRIES AND FROM GRAZ
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3.
PROGRAM AND ACTIVITIES
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Sunday, April 27 2014:
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Monday, April 28 2014:
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Tuesday, April 29 2014:
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Wednesday, April 30 2014:
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Thursday, May 1 2014:
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Friday, May 2 2014:
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4.
CONCLUSION
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5.
APPENDICES
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Dokument 1: Program for the meeting in Graz
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Dokument 2: Sightseeing in Graz
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Dokument 5: Ecological Park in Hartberg Dokument 6: Riegersburg
http://www.oekopark.at/
http://veste-riegersburg.at/
Dokument 7: Zotter’s chocolate factory
http://www.zotter.at/en/homepage.html
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Dokument 8: Environmental studies
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Dokument 9: Sightseeing in Vienna
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Comenius Project SARAH: Meeting Report 3, Graz, 27. 4. – 1.5. 2014
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SARAH – Science Around Us Along History Meeting report 3 Graz, May 2014
1. Introduction After a very busy time during the preparation of the meeting we finally could start! The Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule, Bundeshandelsakademie für Berufstätige in Graz welcomed students and teachers from eight partner countries for the third project meeting from April 27 to May 1, 2014. Especially our students were waiting for the guests to spend some interesting days with young people from our partner countries. A poster with greetings in the languages of the partner countries was prepared and shown in the banquet hall of our school.
Comenius Project SARAH: Meeting Report 3, Graz, 27. 4. – 1.5. 2014
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2. Participants from partner countries and from Graz We were happy to welcome participants from all our partner countries. Unfortunately it was very difficult to find families that were able to host students from other countries, mainly due to the fact that many families live in small apartments or outside of Graz. Nevertheless we could host 19 students from our partner countries. Together with the teachers the total number of guests coming to Graz was 38. Participating teachers: 19 from 8 partner countries and 7 from Austria France Italy Poland Romania
Sweden Spain
Turkey
UK Austria
Giacometti Serein Scarano Violante Jochemczyk Sobczyk Circu Lohan Pop Vacaru Fondelius Luque Ruiz Moral García Serrano Orta Erenoglu Zorer Taymaz Yaşkan Cieslik Rigby Bell Draxler Ghergheles Kratochwill Kratochwill Villanova Wissa
Alain Patrick Michele Maria Antonietta Angelika Grzegorz Nadia Luminita Daniela Nicusor Cristian Leonard Sofia Francisco Ana Mª Mª Flores Ebru Selim Güner Victoria Chloe Ruth Sonja Liana Elisabeth Ulrike Helga Georg
Comenius Project SARAH: Meeting Report 3, Graz, 27. 4. – 1.5. 2014
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Participating students: 19 from 8 partner countries and 19 from Austria France Italy Poland
Romania Sweden Spain
Turkey UK Austria
Dos Santos Lefort D’Alessandro Marinaro Miłkowski Święciński Szulc Bargan Sescu Kamperin Van Hees Carmona Escribano Jurado Briegas Luque Sánchez Montalbán Ruiz Duman Kutlu Gorbunova Hudakova Ambrosch Berger Gödl Gutschelhofer Henn Klingler Kosutnik Matijak Mausser Öz Riedl Schmid Schönbacher Schudi Strunz Uhl Urschler Weingrill Wolf
Cathy Yasmine Chiara Antonella Filip Dominik Igor Mihai-Daniel Robert Sofia Alicia Gloria Olga Álvaro Angela Gizem Nur Sude Alesja Romana Eva Katharina Nina Antonia Marie Magdalena Maximilian Jennifer Verena Fatma Viktoria Karina Kerstin Verena Marion Marie-Therese Julia Katharina Johanna
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3. Program and activities Sunday, April 27th 2014: The partners arrived on Sunday between 2 pm and 11 pm either by train from Vienna or by plane at the airport Graz Thalerhof. Sonja Draxler, Elisabeth Kratochwill and Liana Ghergheles together with the host families welcomed the guests at the airport or at the train station. The teachers were brought to the hotel, mainly the IBIS Budget Hotel in Graz Lendplatz, by the Austrian teachers. This hotel is a cheap, 2-stars-hotel, located directly in the centre of Graz. Only the Polish group arrived on Monday morning by train from Vienna, as there was no public connection between Vienna and Graz late in the evening. They were picked up at the train station by Liana Ghergheles and two students.
Monday, April 28th 2014: 08:30 – 09:00 Pickup of the teachers Maximilian Kosutnik and Katharina Weingrill, two of the Austrian students, went to the IBIS Budget Hotel to pick up the teachers from the partner countries and show them the way to the BHAK Grazbachgasse. 09:00 – 09:30 Festive Opening The opening was held at the banquet hall of the BHAK Grazbachgasse. Sonja Draxler, the Austrian project coordinator and the headmaster of the school, Hans Wilding, welcomed the guests from the partner countries. The headmaster provided an insight in the Austrian educational system, especially the vocational schools with different branches and praxis orientation. Two students, Nina Gödl and Magdalena Klingler, presented the program and schedule for this meeting as well as the locations to be visited.
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Dokument 1: Program for the Meeting in Graz: on Twinspace and attached Document 2: Nina Gödl and Magdalena Klinglers presentation: on Twinspace
9:30 – 11:00
Short presentations from the partner countries The students were asked to
present themselves, their hobbies, their families, and to show their work on Eratosthenes method for the earth radius measurements.
Some groups showed us videos from their measurements which can be found on twinspace or on youtube. 11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break 11:30 – 12:30 Presentation of the coordinator The project coordinator, Luque Ruiz Francisco, presented the results of the earth radius measurements, which were done in all countries on March 11 or March 21, 2014, depending on weather conditions. As explained at the last meeting in Jurancon, the measurements have to be performed at the same date to be used for earth radius calculation; each country had to make the measurements when the sun reaches its zenith. Luque Ruiz Francisco prepared an Excel sheet on Google Drive where he inserted all the experimental results of the partners. Using these data and the distances between the partner locations he calculated the earth radius and the errors of the results, documented on Google Drive. Document 3: Earth radius measurements – comparative results of all groups (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4G0HXkWxJnrd3lOSURhOUxiUG8/edit?us p=sharing )
12:30 – 13:00 Walk from the school to the City Hall Students as well as teachers, guided by Austrian students, went from the school to the centre of Graz. It was a walk of about 15 minutes.
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13:00 – 14:00 Reception at the Mayor of Graz At 1 pm we were invited to a reception by the Mayor of Graz. The municipal government of Graz consists of the Mayor, Siegfried Nagl, his deputy and five city councillors, who together form the city senate. The Mayor was represented by Councillor Martina Kaufmann, who is responsible in the city for the topics youth and education. After welcome greetings we were invited to take a snack and have some drinks.
14:00 – 17:00 Visiting the City and the World Heritage Sites of Graz The Austrian students decided to show their guests special sites of Graz, and to prepare their own tours. Depending on the language about five groups were formed to visit the most interesting parts of Graz, including shopping possibilities and locations especially for young people. Helga Villanova, Liana Ghergheles and Sonja Draxler made a special tour for the teachers, showing the most important sights of Graz, including the Herrengasse, the painted house, the cathedral and the clock tower at the Schlossberg. Document 4: Sightseeing in Graz (attached and on Twinspace)
Comenius Project SARAH: Meeting Report 3, Graz, 27. 4. – 1.5. 2014
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18:30 – 21:00 Dinner at school For the first evening the Austrian students and their parents prepared local specialities to show their guests the Austrian culinary delights, for example: o o o o o o o o
Fried breaded Styrian chicken with potatoes Goulash soup Pumpkin seed spread Traditional beef soup Smoked meat, sausage and cheese with bread Salad with Austrian pumpkin dressing Apple strudel sugared pancakes with raisins, and much more!
It was a great dinner with a lot of food, given in the banquet hall of the school. After dinner students went back home to the hosting families and teachers went back to the hotel.
Comenius Project SARAH: Meeting Report 3, Graz, 27. 4. – 1.5. 2014
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Tuesday, April 29th 2014: 08:30
Departure for the ecological park in Hartberg A one hour trip to the Eastern parts of Styria showed us the typical landscape called Oststeirisches Hügelland with wooded hills and small villages.
10:00 – 13:00 Ecological Park in Hartberg This ecological park combines science, business and adventure. Within three hours we visited
the Experimentarium: We had a guided tour by the head of the science centre, Dr. Adolf Heschl, in the Experimentarium, a small
science centre for physics, chemistry, biology and environmental topics. Students as well as teachers could try a lot of experiments by their own.
and the Climate Tower: In this 6-floor high building the consequences of global warming are demonstrated. Each floor shows with a lot of pictures what happens with flora and wildlife worldwide if the mean temperature of the world increases by one degree and up to 6 degrees Celsius.
Document 5: Ecological park in Hartberg (attached and on Twinspace)
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13:00 – 14:00 Bus tour via Eastern Styria to the Chocolate factory Zotter A ca. 45 minutes trip gave us some more impressions from the landscape in Eastern Styria. We passed Riegersburg Castle, one of the most impressive landmarks of Eastern Styria, situated on the rock of a volcano, which is 482 m high. Document 6: Riegersburg (attached and on Twinspace)
14:30 – 17:00 Visiting the Chocolate factory Zotter Zotter produces individual chocolate for individual people. The inventor Josef Zotter started with fair trade production in 2004. From the cocoa bean to the chocolate – the whole process is done using only organic and fair-trade quality. Before starting the tour in the “chocolate theatre” we had a short introduction in fair-trade chocolate production. An introductory film gave us an imagination on cocoa farmers in India and the long way of the cocoa bean to the chocolates we buy in our shops. After this introduction in English we could immerse into the world of chocolate: A tasting tour with audio guides provides a lot of information on chocolate. By walking around the chocolate factory it is possible to view the whole process of production, starting from roasting, via the fine milling up to the chocolate bars. Besides viewing the process the creation of chocolate can be experienced with our senses and intermediate and final products could be tasted. Document 7: Zotter’s chocolate factory (attached and on Twinspace)
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17:00 – 18:00 Bus trip back to Graz After visiting Zotter we drove back to Graz by bus. The students shared the evening with the host families. The teachers went to their hotel to have a short rest.
19:30 – 21:00 Dinner for teachers: Restaurant “Lendplatzl”, Lendplatz 11, 8020 Graz (http://www.lendplatzl.at/) For dinner a typical Styrian restaurant close to the hotel was selected. They offered the following menu: Soup:
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Beef broth with pancake stripes Crème of leek soup
Main Course:
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Fried breaded Styrian chicken with salad Potato dumplings with wild garlic pesto and salad
Dessert:
fresh fruit salad
Wednesday, April 30th 2014: 07:45 – 10:30 Students stay in classes with our Austrian students To get an impression about school days in Austria foreign students could attend lessons together with their hosting girls and boys. The Austrian teachers were informed earlier and tried to start discussions with the guests. This was especially interesting for language teachers, so for example:
French students attended French classes Italian students attended Italian classes Turkish or Polish students attended English lessons, etc.
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08:30 – 10:30 Teacher meeting In the meantime the teachers had a meeting to discuss the progress of the project and to define next steps till the next meeting in Sweden in about one month. Topics we discussed:
Internet activities: o All partners agreed to use Twinspace to present their work. However, some groups criticized that Twinspace is mainly for a special community and not for the public. o The Romanian team presented a project website in the internet, which looked very interesting with a lot of information and easy to handle. Website: http://projectsarah.wordpress.com/ o The French team created project website with a lot of information concerning the aims of the project, the partners and the meetings. Dates for the next meeting: o We have to find possible dates for the five meetings next year. o We agreed not to have meetings in December, January and February due to sometimes worse weather conditions. o We agreed to following dates: Romania: Week 42 in 2014 Turkey: Week 46 in 2014 Italy: Week 13 in 2015 Poland: Week 21 in 2015 o There was a discussion concerning the last meeting in UK: possible date for UK: Week 25 in 2015 Some partners prefer a meeting without students to write the final report. The coordinator wanted to collect topics for the second year concerning environmental studies. So each group had to propose topics which are interesting to investigate local environmental problems. The coordinator prepared a paper for each group to be filled in. Document 8: Environmental studies (attached)
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break
Comenius Project SARAH: Meeting Report 3, Graz, 27. 4. – 1.5. 2014
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11:00 – 12:30 Final ceremony We started the final ceremony with a group foto. Then the headmaster of the school presented the certificate of attendance to each group and handed over the 150-years anniversary publication of our school to all group leaders. After that all participants got a certificate of attendance.
12:30 – 13:00 Evaluation of the meeting At the end of the ceremony all participants were asked to fill in the online-evaluation forms, that Nadia Circu from Romania provided for us. Document 9: Results of evaluation https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RsXjRlamcuJrQ8cB14EJkxO42RlJe6gE kkchGSQU3dA/viewanalytics 13:00
Free Afternoon Students and teachers had time to relax, to visit some more sight of Graz or to go shopping.
19:30 – 22:00 Final Dinner for teachers Restaurant “Altsteirische Schmankerlstube”, Sackstraße 10, 8010 Graz (http://www.schmankerlstube.at/en_home.html) The restaurant is famous for its typical Styrian cuisine using mainly local products and located in the centre of Graz.
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They offered the following menu: Soup:
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Beef broth with pancake stripes Semolina dumpling soup Creamy garlic soup
Main Course:
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Roast pork with cider and potato noodles Boiled pork with potatoes, vegetables and horseradish Pork cutlet in breadcrumbs with parsley potatoes and cranberries Homemade vegetable burgers with a creamy herb sauce Homemade “Spätzle” with leek and cheese
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Yoghurt dumplings with a wild-berry sauce Apple strudel filled with apple and sweet cheese served with whipped cream
Thursday, May 1st 2014: 08:00 – 18:00 Excursion to Vienna In connection to the meeting an excursion to Vienna was offered to our partners. As some of the groups arrived by plane in Vienna they either chose a flight on Thursday evening or decided to stay in Vienna for the last night and go back home on Friday morning. In Austria the Labour Day is an official holiday. Special celebrations by the Socialists and Communists were held at special places in Vienna; therefore we had to decide very carefully where to go and where it is possible to leave the bus due to roadblocks in the centre of Vienna. To be sure that everybody will find the way back to the bus station I prepared a small map showing the most important sights with a short description. Document 10: Sightseeing in Vienna (attached and on Twinspace) For the morning we decided to visit the inner centre of the city, starting with the Vienna State Opera House, the Kärntnerstraße, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the National Theatre, the University of Vienna, the Vienna City Hall, the Parliament and the Imperial Palace.
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In the afternoon we drove by bus to SchĂśnbrunn Palace. Most of the groups went for the Imperial Tour visiting the imperial rooms of the Habsburgs, other ones, especially the students preferred to make a walk in the beautiful garden complex and to find a way out of the maze.
Friday, May 2st 2014: 06:20
Departure of the French partners French teachers took a taxi at 4:45 to go to the airport; students were brought by their host families.
14:15
Departure of the UK team Sonja Draxler accompanied the UK teachers to the airport; students were brought by their host families.
15:15
Departure of the Swedish group The hosting families brought the students as well as the teacher to the airport.
All the other groups departed from Vienna on Thursday evening or Friday morning.
4. Conclusion The Austrian teachers and students were happy to welcome all the partners here in Graz! It was a please to us to give you some impressions about our school, our city and our culture. I hope we could fulfil most of your expectations and we are happy to meet you again in Sweden!
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5. Appendices
Dokument 1: Program for the meeting in Graz So 27.4.2014: Arrival Mo 28.4.2014: 09:00 – 09:30 09:30 – 11:30 11:30 – 12:00 12:00 – 12:30 12:30 – 14:00 14:30 – 16:30 18:30 – 21:00
Opening session Short presentations of students Break Presentation of the Coordinator Reception at the Mayor of Graz Visiting the City and the World Heritage Sites of Graz Dinner at school
Tu 29.4.2014: 08:00 – 18:00 Excursion to the ecological park Hartberg and the chocolate factory Zotter; Meeting point: 8:00 at the cafeteria in school 19:30 Dinner for teachers: Restaurant “Lendplatzl”, Lendplatz 11, 8020 Graz We 30.4.2014: 07:45 – 10:30 08:30 – 10:30 10:30 – 11:00 11:00 – 13:00 Afternoon: 19:30
Th 1.5.2014: Fr 2.5.2014:
Students: stay in classes with our students Teacher meeting Break final ceremony free time Final Dinner for teachers: Restaurant “Altsteirische Schmankerlstube”, Sackstraße 10, 8010 Graz
08:00 – 18:00 Excursion to Vienna; Meeting point: Lendplatz Departure
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Dokument 2: Sightseeing in Graz 1. Hauptplatz and Town Hall http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/hauptplatz--town-hall_sh-1244 Hauptplatz – Main Square In the Middle Ages, Graz was an important centre of commerce and trade, where fairs and weekly markets where held. In the market square only burghers lived, mainly traders. The architecture of the staggered row of houses in the west of Hauptplatz, interrupted by narrow alleys, is reminiscent of the Middle Ages. Below wooden arcades the traders displayed their goods. Masonry arcades can be seen at the two Luegg Houses. Thanks to its gorgeous stucco facade from the late 17th century, the Luegg at the corner to Sporgasse is an impressive eye-catcher. In this respect it competes with the town hall domininating the southern part of Hauptplatz. Since 1878, a monument/fountain has towered above the market stalls luring with hot franks, dairy products, fruit, ice cream, or pumpkin seed oil. The monument is dedicated to the "Styrian prince" Archduke Johann (1782-1859). Not without reason was the monument erected in such a prominent position in Graz. Archduke Johann started manifold initiatives which had a lasting positive effect on the development of Styria. The fountain shows the Habsburg surrounded by four female figures. They symbolize the rivers Mur, Enns, Drava and Sann which flew through Styria in her old boarders. In 2002, Hauptplatz was redesigned by Graz architect Markus Pernthaler. The wide empty area in front of the town hall offers room for various events, for instance, promoting public life in the square. At night, friendly and warm indirect light accentuates the impressive colourful façades of Hauptplatz.
Rathaus - Town Hall The history of the town hall illustrates the constantly growing importance of Austria's second largest city. Around 1550, the city administration moved into a quite humble town hall in Renaissance style in Hauptplatz, which, incidentally, also served as a prison. The building was replaced in 1803 by a new and larger town hall in classical style. In the 19th century, the enormous growth in population and the increasing self-assureness of the citizens led to the construction of today's town hall which was planned by the Viennese architects Wielemans and Reuter. It was completed in 1893. All the houses of the block should have been destroyed to make room for the historicist old-style German building. This goal was not achieved, however. In Herrengasse you still find three narrow houses seemingly jammed in the huge town hall building. Their owners had refused to "sacrifice" the houses for the new town hall. Which today can be regarded as a "solid" symbol of stubborness allegedly typical of Styrian people. The main facade of the town hall was radically simplified in the 20th century. But the statues removed from niches and from the main entrance are currently returning as copies: allegories of the craft, the arts, science, and trade, and major protagonists of Austrian history. Inside, the high-quality interior of the twostorey session hall probably brightens up the work of the city council. A coffered ceiling, a gallery, panellings, even the chandelier and the wall clock of the original late 19th-century furnishing have been preserved.
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2. Painted House http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/painted-house_sh-1231 On the façade of the Herzoghof building in the centre of Graz, Greek and Roman Gods engage in a rendezvous. The building was first painted as early as 1600. The Baroque painter Johann Mayer applied the ‘divine’ frescos in 1742, since which time it has been known as the ‘painted house’. If you take a moment to immerse yourself in the images, you enjoy an intense sense of submersion right there in the middle of the urban hustle and bustle. Up to the second half of the 15th century, the Habsburgs carried out their official business as princes of Styria in this house. The manager of the building was released from paying any taxes for putting up the "prince's chair". Herzogshof was first mentioned in 1360. It was in this house that the Dukes of Styria gave their subjects land in fee. When the Burg in Graz was completed soon after 1450, the new building was used for that ceremony. From the year 1600 onwards, a brother of the then Styrian prince and future emperor Ferdinand II lived in the house. It was at that time that it was first painted. By none other than Ferdinand's court painter and future architect of the Mausoleum, Giovanni Pietro de Pomis. The house often changed hands until it passed into the hands of a moneychanger. Franz von Lathurner commissioned the artist Johann Mayer from Vorau to fresco the façade anew. Nothing has remained of de Pomis' original painting. In the course of time, the identity of the figures depicted on the façade fell into oblivion. Just a few years ago they could be identified as Greco-Roman gods. The bottom zone with the popular gods Bacchus (god of wine), Vulcan (god of craftsmen) and Vesta (goddess of home) is closest to the people. Above them, in the hierarchy of gods and on the façade, are Apollo (god of light), Jupiter (king of gods) and Pluto (god of the underworld). The realm of gods is complemented by Mercury (god of merchants and travellers), Mars (god of war), Minerva (goddess of war and the arts), and Aesculapius (god of medicine) in the top row. Heroes of Greek and Roman mythology are also part of the programme. With its frescos covering more than 220m², i.e. the whole façade, Gemaltes Haus is unique in Austria.
3. Landhaus Courtyard http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/landhaus-courtyard_sh-1246 A touch of Northern Italy in Herrengasse, right in the centre of Graz? In fact, the Landhaus is reminiscent of some Venice palazzo. In 1557, the Italian architect Domenico dell’Allio started to construct a prestigious building for the Styrian estates. It still is the provincial parliament of Styria. Not only the main façade of the building is outstanding. People are especially amazed by the Renaissance-style arcaded courtyard. In the late 15th century the Styrian estates gave up holding their diets at different castles and monasteries, and decided to erect a Landhaus in the capital of Graz. The first little "office" was extended in the 16th century by "welschen" (Italian) master builders to form the largest building complex in the historic centre of Graz. The main wing in Herrengasse and the splendid courtyard were erected in 1557 by Domenico
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dell'Aglio. He had come to Graz from Northern Italy as a fortress architect also supervising the reconstruction of the fortress on Schlossberg. People often just stand and gape after entering the spacious courtyard of Landhaus for the first time: Arcades on all three floors, copper gargoyles dating from the 16th century, the bronze fountain - a Mannerist masterpiece. Not only locals know that such an ambience makes feasts, concerts, film shows, the Christmas ice crib a tremendous experience. The interior of Landhaus is adorned by Baroque furnishings. Landstube (the session hall) is notable for its stucco ceiling by Johann Angelo Formentini with plastic figures and coats of arms, and by the porcelain stoves crowned by heraldic animals - the Austrian eagle, and the Styrian panther. In Rittersaal, the elaborate stucco ceiling shows the signs of the zodiac. Not forgetting Landhaus chapel, built in 1630/31. After the expulsion of the Protestant estates in 1629, its black and gold Jesuit-style altar, the altarpiece showing the Assumption of the Virgin, and the two statues of St. Catherine and St. Barbara symbolize the restoration of Catholicism in Landhaus.
4. Armory http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/armoury_sh-1200 At the Landeszeughaus armoury of Graz, standing in rank and file are the armour and weapons of valiant warriors of the Middle Ages. The special historical setting and sheer number of collector’s items make a visit to the Graz armoury a treat not to be missed. Marvel at an unbelievable 32,000 exhibits arranged on four floors, where many a visitor, large or small, drifts into dreams of heroic sagas of times past. Due to its geographical position south of the Alps, and as the capital of Inner Austria, Graz developed as an important centre of defence against intruding peoples from the east. It was especially the advances of the Ottoman Turks, which from the end of the 15th century forced the Styrian estates to organize defence and to build up their weapons stockpiles. Both native gunsmiths and armourers, and masters from Nuremberg, Augsburg and Innsbruck were commissioned. Starting in 1642, Antonio Solar erected a "Zeughaus" (armoury) adjacent to the Landhaus for the increasing store of arms. The narrow building is five storeys high and about 50m long. The façade is embellished by two impressively vulptuous Baroque statues by Giovanni Mamolo representing Mars (war god) and Minerva (goddess of war and the arts). In the course of reforming military administration, Empress Maria Theresa intended to give up the armoury. But the Styrian estates succeeded in preventing the liquidation and in saving the armoury as a testimony for the braveness of the Styrians in fighting the "age-old enemy of Christendom". So today the only originally preserved armoury in the world contains about 32,000 exhibits, historical arms and military equipment dating from the late 15th to the early 19th centuries. More than 3,300 armours and helmets, over 7,800 small arms, c. 5,400 staff weapons, 2,400 swords, sabres and the like - whatever was needed for warfare in former times, you will find it in the armoury. Besides the mass of weapons for simple soldiers, the gorgeous armours for the nobility and the entirely preserved horse armour from the early 16th century are especially impressive. The c. 50 heavy guns from the ground floor of the armoury, however, were removed when Napoleon's troops were approaching and later on sold to a bell-founder. Opening hours:
Mon & Wed - Sun: 10.00 - 17.00;
Entrance fees: Adults: € 8.00,
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Pupils: € 3.00
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5. Parish Church - Stadtpfarrkirche http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/parish-church_sh-1250 It was in the year 1440 that Emperor Frederick III had a little Corpus Christi chapel erected in the former Jewish quarter of Graz. The Dominicans, to whom the chapel had been turned over by Frederick, added a three-nave late Gothic church with a long, narrow chancel. Gothic architecture and the former cloister in the south with its partly preserved ribbed vault even today remind of the Dominican period in the history of the building. But the Dominicans themselves had to leave their monastery. In 1585 the church was made the municipal parish church by order of Archduke Charles II. The former parish church, today's cathedral, had been turned over to the Jesuits. The gorgeous altars from the Baroque period were replaced by neo-Gothic ones in the 19th century. The Baroque Johannes Nepomuk Chapel, however, has been preserved. It was erected by Josef Hueber on an oval ground plan, and today contains the former altarpiece of the high altar "Mariae Himmelfahrt" ascribed to the Venice painter Tintoretto. A bomb explosion in World War II destroyed, among other things, the Gothic stained-glass windows in the chancel. Albert Birkle, an artist from Salzburg, was commissioned with making new ones. They predominantly depict the Passion but also the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The organ of Stadtpfarrkirche is among the best in Styria. It was built in 1970 by the company Rieger from Vorarlberg. You can hear the organ play at services, at organ concerts and in summer as "Mittagsklänge" (sounds at noon) inviting to a pause in the rush of the city. Coming back to the tower: what seems to be so solid is just a wooden roof turret, richly decorated with stucco and a splendid copper cupola. The eyecatcher in Herrengasse was designed by Joseph Stengg and built around 1780.
6. Opera House http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/opera-house_sh-1158 Initially, today's opera house was the municipal theatre and did not exclusively serve music. So it was opened with Schiller's drama "Wilhelm Tell" on 16 September 1899. At the request of the city council, the Viennese architects Fellner and Helmer, famous for their theatre projects, designed the building in the style of the Baroque master builder Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. A bomb explosion in the Second World War resulted in the demolition of the original portico and a simplification of the façade. Inside, however, the spacious staircase and the auditorium with its boxes, the luxuriant, partly gilded stucco and the baroquemanner ceiling paintings have remained intact. In the mid-eighties, a very sensitive extension designed by Gunther Wawrik was added to the opera house. Now a glazed bridge connects the stage area to the newly erected scene dock. Not only the 1,800 members of the audience, which the auditorium seats, are impressed by the performances. In the theatre season of 2000/01, Graz Opera House showed the best performances in the German-speaking countries. That's what the 50 theatre critics concluded, when they selected Graz Opera House as "Opera House of the Year".
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Among the great musicians who have worked at the opera house, especially composer Robert Stolz (director of music at the age of 20) and conductor Karl Böhm rose to fame. Both were also born in Graz. Something fascinating about Graz - the interplay of modernism and tradition - is illustrated by the sculpture "light sword" next to the opera house. It was originally made for the festival "Steirischer Herbst" in 1992. To celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America, the opera "Amerika" by Roman HaubenstockRamati was performed in the opera house. Graz artist Hartmut Skerbisch was inspired by the libretto based on a text by Franz Kafka to create this "Statue of Liberty" with sword and globe. It is 54m high, exactly as its model in New York.
7. Cathedral and Mausoleum http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/cathedral_sh-1241 Cathedral: Today's cathedral reminds of the days when Graz was an imperial city. Emperor Frederick III erected the church together with his new residence in Graz. In the course of history, the cathedral saw many changes. Construction work of the court and parish church in lateGothic style was started in 1438, as Jesuit church it was refurbished in Baroque style in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Since 1786 it has been the cathedral, i.e. the bishop's and main church of the Catholics in Styria. The exterior of the cathedral looks very sober today. In the Gothic period, however, the façades were covered with paintings. One fresco has been preserved - the so-called Gottesplagenbild ("God's Plagues"). It refers to a year of horrors Graz suffered in 1480. The town was struck by three plagues which were considered to be God's punishment - locusts, war and the Black Death. The painting has to be seen as a plea to God for forgiveness and reconciliation. The painter Thomas von Villach arranged the Holy Trinity, saints and the hierarchy of angels as well as the three plagues like an impressive drama demonstrating God's wrath and the plea for mercy, all underlined by medieval "balloons". The interior of the cathedral hormoniously combines Gothic architecture with Baroque furnishing. The frescos in the church date from the times of Emperor Frederick III. Among them: a fragment showing St. Christopher, clearly recognizable as Frederick wearing the Styrian ducal crown. The Jesuits, who owned the church for nearly 200 years, had it furnished in magnificent Baroque by the best local and foreign artists. The splendid high altar was designed by Georg Kraxner. But also the pulpit, the choir stalls and the pews are of impressive quality. Among the most precious objects in the cathedral are the two reliquaries to the left and the right of the chancel entrance. Originally the chests belonged to Paola Gonzaga. In 1477 she married Leonhard of Gorizia and brought along her bridal chests from her native Mantua to Leonhard's castle Bruck near Lienz in East Tyrol. Inlays in bone and ivory represent a poem by Petrarca - "I Trionfi". The artist Andrea Mantegna is assumed to have made them. The couple died without having children. The Jesuits in Graz finally inherited the chests and used them as reliquaries for bones of Christian martyrs. The organ of the cathedral was built in 1978. All the 5,354 pipes are played and the 73 stops are pulled out at services and organ concerts.
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Mausoleum: http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/mausoleum_sh-1247 The so-called Stadtkrone ("Crown of the Town") of Graz comprises such important buildings as the Cathedral, the Burg, the Old University and today's Seminary (former Jesuit college). But it is the domescape of the Mausoleum which also visually crowns the city. In 1614 Ferdinand commissioned his Italian court painter and architect to erect a mausoleum and an adjacent St. Catherine's Church next to today's Cathedral. It was to become one of the most important buildings of the early 17th century in Austria. The oval dome above the tomb chapel was the first of its kind built outside Italy. The façade of St. Catherine's is composed with rich small details and demonstrates the taste of time at the threshold of Renaissance and Baroque. As a gable statue, St. Catherine of Alexandria is looking to the former Jesuit college opposite, where in 1585 Graz University was founded. After all, St. Catherine is worshipped as the patron saint of universities. In 1619 Ferdinand was elected emperor and left Graz for Vienna. Construction work at the Mausoleum came to a standstill. So in 1637 Ferdinand was laid to rest in a half-finished, "draughty" tomb. Only his grandson, Emperor Leopold I, commissioned a young Graz artist to make the interior. The young artist later on became the famous Austrian Baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The vault is dominated by an impressive sarcophagus of red marble. It is the final resting place of Ferdinand's mother, Maria of Bavaria. Just a plain tablet on the wall indicates the grave of Emperor Ferdinand. Opening hours: Jan.-April only Tue & Fri 10.30 - 12.30 & 13.30 - 16.00 Entrance fees: Adults: € 6.00, Pupils: € 2.00
8. Burg and Double Spiral Staircase http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/burg--double-spiral-staircase_sh1240 AEIOU - these are the letters Emperor Frederick III had written on all the things he possessed and on all the buildings he had erected. Historians still puzzle over the meaning of this sequence of the vowels. Nevertheless, it facilitates architectural research work. So, the Burg in Graz is also inscribed "AEIOU" on several façades. In 1438 Frederick, then duke of Styria, decided to erect a new residence in Graz. At the same time he built the court church of St. Ägydius, today's cathedral, and even connected it to his - no longer existing - accommodation wing in the Burg. Frederick's son, Emperor Maximilian I, continued construction work in the Burg. And he left to posterity one of the major Gothic staircases in Europe. A double-spiral staircase - two flights of staircases, running in opposite directions, join for some steps on each floor, separate again, join again... The architectural masterpiece of 1499 has often been interpreted as a symbol of eternity. Graz people call it the "stairs of reconciliation". If you go separate ways, you will reunite. From 1564 onwards, Archduke Charles II resided in the Burg and ruled over Inner Austria, an association of territories reaching as far as Istria, Trieste and Gorizia. By holding court in Graz, by patronising artists and by their building initiatives, Charles and his wife, Maria of Bavaria, helped Graz to achieve its heyday. The Burg
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was extended. Apart from Karlstrakt (Charles Wing), also the Registraturtrakt (Records Wing) with its galleries and sgraffito scratchwork decorations was built. On the greens in front of this building, since 1959 several busts have commemorated important Styrians. Among them: the Baroque composer Johann Josef Fux, the architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, the inventors Viktor Kaplan (Kaplan water turbine) and August Musger (slow-motion camera), writers and scholars. The so-called "gallery of honour" could still be extended by many persons.
9. Priests‘ Seminary http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/priests-seminary_sh-1249 In the second half of the 16th century Styria was mainly Protestant. The Catholic prince, Archduke Charles II, relied on the support of the noblemen to fight the Ottoman Turks. Which lead to religious tolerance. When the noblemen founded a Protestant school, Charles was forced to take countermeasures at least in the field of education. In 1572 he called the Jesuit Order to Graz who immediately took up teaching and started to build a college. In 1585 the Jesuit university was founded. In 1600 Protestant burghers were expelled by Archduke Ferdinand. For 200 years the Jesuits controlled religious and educational life in Graz. Up to the 19th century the college, erected by Vinzenz de Verda, was connected to the Jesuit church, today's cathedral. While the courtyard covering 1,300m² is characterized by its original Renaissance style, the interior features Baroque jewels. For instance, the so-called Prunkstiege (grand staircase) - a quite narrow, originally humble staircase which was exuberantly decorated with stucco and paintings with banderols in c. 1712. The building adjacent to the Seminary is the Old University. It was opened in 1609 by Archduke Ferdinand (later Emperor Ferdinand II). The coats of arms of Ferdinand and his Bavarian wife still embellish the building. On the ground floor there were lecture rooms, above them an aula and a theatre which under Empress Maria Theresa was converted into a huge library in the Rococo style.
10. Palais Saurau http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/palais-saurau_sh-1248 In 1566 Pankraz von Windischgrätz erected a large-scale four-wing palais near the then still existing medieval town wall. A narrow alley between the house and the town wall was part of an escape route from the Burg to the fortress on the Schlossberg, which could be used by Archduke Charles II in case of an enemy attack. Since 1630 the building has been owned by the family of Saurau, today Goess-Saurau. In the 18th century the Counts of Saurau were eager to make the palais Baroque. It was especially the state halls which at that time were given their homogenous interior still remarkably complete. Around 1730 the
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impressive fanlight of the gateway was made. It ranks among the best Baroque wrought-iron works in Styria. On its side towards Schlossberg , the vast inner courtyard is characterized by galleries from the Renaissance period. The paving with small rounded stones from the river Mur - lovingly called "Murnockerln" (Mur dumplings) by the locals - is typical of Graz. Those who did/do not find rest in the stately house could/can retire to the summer house on the slope of Schlossberg. The domed Baroque gem is so secret that it can hardly be spied from any place in Graz. But what about the Turk looking out of Palais Saurau? There are lots of legends. This one, for instance: the Turks had taken Graz, except the fortress on the Schlossberg. When a Turkish pasha was having dinner in today's Palais Saurau, a cannon ball shot from Schlossberg hit his plate with the delicious roast. The latter flew out of the window. What else could he do but gaze after it? In his rage, he ordered the withdrawal of the Turks from Graz. As in fact, however, the Turks have never occupied Graz, the story must have been different. Opinions about the original function of the wooden figure with Turkish features are divided. Maybe the Counts of Saurau just followed a fashion which caught on after the great victory over the Turks in 1683, and decorated their house "alla turca".
11. Schlossberg http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/schlossberg_sh-1251 The Schlossberg. It attracts people. In springtime by fresh green, the first warm rays of sunshine, in summer by shady trees and open-air performances, in autumn by the blaze of colours, and in winter you can escape to it from dull routine in the city. And all that within a few minutes. Over 260 steps take you up to the hillside from Schlossbergplatz or along the paths from Karmeliterplatz or Wickenburggasse. For a spectacular descent, try the "Kriegssteig" - the staircase that zig-zags down the cliff face to the Schlossbergplatz. Since 1894 the Schlossbergbahn funicular has mastered the gradient of about 60% perfectly - lately with new observation cars. On top of the hill there is much to discover. The Bell Tower dating from the 16th century. Inside it - the "Liesl", the heaviest bell of Graz. There is the casemate open-air stage in the former cellars of the destroyed main building of the fortress. A cistern, the TĂźrkenbrunnen (Turkish well), 94m deep, and the mighty Stallbastei bastion were all built by Domenico dell'Aglio. He was leading among the architects from Northern Italy who in the mid-16th century erected new city walls in Graz and a 400m-long fortress on Schlossberg. No one could take this fortress. Not even Napoleon. However, after a victory over the Hapsburgs in 1809, Napoleon demanded the demolition of the fortress. A huge amount of money paid to the French by the burghers of Graz could prevent the Clock Tower and the Bell Tower from being destroyed. Thirty years later, Baron of Welden transformed the former fortress hill into the romantic park with its southern plants, which it is still today. The c. 260 steps of Schlossbergtreppe lead you downwards. As does the glass lift which terminates in the Schlossberg tunnel system. The latter was built in World War II as an air-raid shelter for the people of Graz. Today it houses not only a grotto railway for the little ones but also the "Dom im Berg", an event and exhibition hall equipped with state-of-the-art technical infrastructure - and all that in the centre of a rock.
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12. Schlossberglift http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/schlossberg-lift_sh-1229 In the fast lane. An unusual, fast and yet comfortable way to achieve the ascent of Schlossberg hill in Graz is the Schlossberg lift. The altogether aesthetically appealing design of this new lift, set into the very core of the hill, is also particularly practical if you’re in a hurry or not inclined or able to walk. During the ride, the lift’s glass cabins offer a clear view of the illuminated, rock-lined elevator shaft and distant sky above – a mountain view from within. Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 08.00 - 00.30, Ticket fees: Adults: € 1.10, Pupils: € 0.60
13. Clock Tower: http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/clock-tower_sh-1252 The fortified medieval tower got its present shape around 1560. And its characteristic wooden gallery as a fire station. Three bells are ringing from the Clock Tower. Three coats of arms decorate the walls. A tower on this spot of the hill was first mentioned in the 13th century. When the fortress was reconstructed in the middle of the 16th century, the tower was given its present shape. The hands on the huge clockfaces often confuse people. Is the clock out of order? No. The fact that originally there were only long hands for the hours which could be seen from the distance, and that those for the minutes were added only later caused the "swapping" of the hands. The clockworks, made by Michael Sylvester Funck in 1712, are still working but have been driven electronically since the middle of the 20th century. When there was fire in the city the fire bell informed the fire brigade about it. The fire bell (1645) is one of three bells still hanging on the outside of the Clock Tower. The oldest bell of Graz (1385) strikes the hours. The "Armesünderglocke" or "poor wretches bell" (around 1450) was ringing during executions. In later years it reminded revellers of the curfew, which earned it the title "Lumpenglocke" (rogues bell). At three corners of the tower there are coats of arms, formerly decorating gates and walls of the Schlossberg fortress: the Styrian Panther with the crown of the Duchy of Styria on his head (around 1570), the single eagle as the coat of arms of the later Emperor Ferdinand I (1552), and the double eagle with the initial letters of Maria Theresa (2nd half of 18th century). In times of war the massive "Bürgerbastei" (burghers bastion) bearing the Clock Tower had to be defended by the residents of Graz, hence its name. Today it is a splendour of flowers and quite southern plants. And there are benches to relax and to enjoy the grand view of the city and beyond.
14. Schlossberg Funicular http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-anddo/sightseeing/sights/schlossberg-funicular_sh-1238 The Schlossbergbahn cabins carry visitors up and down the central Schlossberg hill of Graz in just a minute and a half. Riding the steep
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incline of the track offers the odd thrill and wonderful views of Graz. For over one hundred years this spectacular funicular has been conveying people on Schlossberg hill in style, with a view to taking in the panorama and perhaps some giddy festivities. It has been trundling up and down its tracks on a 61% gradient since 1894. Take your time to explore the paths twined around the hill. For a spectacular descent, try the "Kriegssteig" - the staircase that zig-zags down the cliff face to the Schlossbergplatz. Opening hours: Son - Wed: 09.00 - 24.00, Ticket fees: Adults: € 2.10, Pupils: € 1.10
Thu - Sat: 09.00 - 02.00
15. Island in the Mur http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/island-in-the-mur_sh-1223 The island has brought the river Mur back to the people of Graz. Up to a few years ago, the river had been polluted by sewage water and industrial effluent. So the fact that the Mur had dug itself 12m deeper into its riverbed after its regulation in the 19th century hardly bothered people. Now the river connecting and dividing the city has a good quality of water again, has become inviting. Graz as "Cultural Capital of Europe 2003" - an impetus to a fresh start. Grazborn Robert Punkenhofer inspired the New York artist Vito Acconci to design an accessible artificial island. The project was realized as a 47m-long reticular steel construction. The curved and twisted shape can be associated with a half-opened shell. In its open part, wave-like blue benches form an amphitheatre for events of all kinds. Under the domed glass roof cooled by water, a café in blue and white offers the opportunity to enjoy being close to Mur - a new feeling even for locals. Between the café and the amphitheatre a three-dimensional maze made of ropes, and a slide are promising an "island adventure" for children. What is called an island, is a ship in fact. She is held by an anchor and is stabilized additionally by the two footbridges connecting her to the river banks. She has even got navigation lights. As a warning to other ships possibly straying into Mur. But as it is shining in bright blue at night, the Mur Island cannot and will not be overlooked anyway.
16. Kunsthaus Graz http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/kunsthaus-graz_sh-1097 The British architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier won the Europe-wide competition to revitalize the Eisernes Haus and to extend it to a Kunsthaus (Art House). The biomorphic construction in shape and material consciously contrasts with the surrounding gabled houses and their red-tiled roofs, nevertheless, in great respect, snuggles up to older buildings.
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1,066 acrylic glass elements form the skin of the friendly alien. At night it sends light signals or written messages from its "BIX façade" to the other side of the river. It sucks daylight from the north through its "nozzles" on top. The "needle" is a glazed viewing platform, stretching over Eisernes Haus and Kunsthaus on the eastern façade. Inside the Eisernes Haus there is the museum shop, the Kunsthaus administration and Camera Austria - an institution which in exhibitions and the eponymous magazine has devoted itself to photography. The transparent base of the Kunsthaus houses a restaurant and a media lounge. The travelator, a slanted moving belt, draws the visitors into the interior of the alien, which on its two floors offers quite favourable conditions for different kinds of exhibitions, even though the Kunsthaus allows itself the luxury of showing exclusively art of the past four decades. Opening hours: Tue - Sun: 10.00 - 17.00; Entrance fees: Adults: € 8.00, Pupils: € 3.00
17. Franciscan Monastery http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/franciscan-monastery_sh-1242 Apart from the Clock Tower, the tower of the Franciscan church is probably the most prominent among the traditional Graz landmarks. It belongs to the oldest monastery in town, founded in 1239 as a monastery of the Minorites in the south-west, next to the town walls, in a strategically important position. So the stately tower, uncommon for beggar's orders, was built in the 17th century as a fortified tower on the orders of the city authorities. Adjacent to the Gothic parish church Mariae Himmelfahrt there is the monastery of the Franciscans. Atmospheric cloisters are open to everybody seeking silence in the heart of the city. On entering the Franciscan church Mariae Himmelfahrt, visitors are often touched by the harmonious interplay of Gothic architecture and 20th-century works of art. The high, narrow 14th-century chancel stands up from the comparatively low and wide nave. The chancel was gutted by a bomb in World War II. When it was rebuilt, a new contemporary interior was made by Styrian artists. The church is bathed in spheric light by the stained glass-windows. A simple, seemingly hovering crucifix in grey cast iron dominates the chancel. Since December 2004, the latest work of contemporary art in the Franciscan church strikes a chord with church visitors - the bold organ built by the Potsdam company Schuke. The originally Gothic cloisters enclose an idyllic monastery garden. Benches invite to have a rest. Epitaphs on the walls of the cloister inform about the names, professions and life data of the distinguished burghers and noblemen who were buried in this place between the 15th and the 18th centuries. The small and quiet Jacobean chapel in the cloister combines Gothic, Baroque and neo-Gothic elements. On the first floor, with its windows showing into the chancel of the church, there is the oratory, where the monks meet for their canonical hours. But everybody is invited to join them for vesper in an atmospheric room within a room, designed in 2003 by architect Lingenhöhle as a light wooden structure with small coloured glass elements.
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18. Joanneum Quarter http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/joanneum-quarter_sh-1107 A paradise for culture vultures – the Joanneumsviertel in Graz. This large-scale cultural centre links the historic museum and library between the streets of Rauber-, Neutor- and Kalchberggasse with a modern architectural complex. Old buildings given a fresh lease of life enclose a wonderful new city-centre public square - a wide piazza from which escalators descend into the events and exhibition centre. Openeing Hours: Foyer: Mo–So 10 am – 5 pm Exhibitions Neue Galerie Graz: Tue–Sun 10 am – 5 pm Exhibition Multimedia Collections: Tue–Sun 10 am – 5 pm Admission:
Adults: € 8,
School pupils, apprentices, students under 27 € 3
19. Eggenberg Palace http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/eggenberg-palace_sh-1199 365 windows, 31 rooms on each floor, 24 state rooms with 52 doors and, in all, 60 windows, 4 corner towers - all allusions to time, to the seasons, to weeks, days, hours, minutes. This number symbolism based on the then new Gregorian calendar is the architectural programme of the palace. Also the paintings in the Planetensaal (Planet Hall), whose decoration was started in 1678, are characterized by astronomical symbolism. In the canvases on the ceiling, the painter, Hans Adam Weissenkircher allocated the seven celestial bodies known at his time to the days of the week, to Roman gods, to metals and to members of the Eggenberger family, among them after all a victorious general and an imperial envoy. On the walls the twelve signs of the zodiac complete the astronomical play on numbers. Only recent research has shown that Hans Ulrich incorporated the medieval castle of the Eggenberger family into the new palace. The intersection of any diagonals drawn through the building is the old Gothic chapel. In the mid-18th century, the heirs of the Eggenberger family, the Counts of Herberstein, turned the former theatre of the palace into a splendid Baroque church. Therefore, the old chapel was no longer used, and its original function fell into oblivion. The winged altar from 1470 was reduced to its 13 panels which were framed and sold to America in the early 20th century. Just a few years ago, the altar was rediscovered and returned to its original place. Schloss Eggenberg is inseparably bound up with its park which has changed with the taste of the times. In the mid-19th century, it was converted into the landscape garden of the present. A special attraction are the majestically stalking peacocks. And a refashioned space of the park - the Planetengarten. Of course, it continues the iconography of the palace. Today Schloss Eggenberg is managed by the Joanneum, the Provincial Museum of Styria. Important collections invite to a visit: the Lapidarium with one of the largest collection of Roman stones in Austria,
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the prehistory and early history departments, the coin collection and, opening in summer 2005, the Alte Galerie - works of art from the Romanesque period to late Baroque. Opening hours: April - October / Tue - Sun: 10.00 - 17.00 as part of a guided tour (surcharge € 2,50; last tour: 4pm) / Gardens: all-season Entrance fees: Adults: € 8.00, Pupils: € 3.00
20. Mariatrost Basilica http://www.graztourismus.at/en/see-and-do/sightseeing/sights/mariatrost-basilica_sh-1239 Located on Purberg hill in Graz, this church is one of the best-known pilgrimage destinations in Styria. Many pilgrims from all over Europe converge here to ascend the 216 steps to the basilica that towers gloriously toward the heavens. The holy shrine to the Virgin Mary in the heart of this Baroque-style church isn’t the only attraction. Beautiful frescos and the impressive pulpit also await you at the magnificent, twin-spired Mariatrost Basilica. The twin-towered pilgrimage church stands proudly on a hill in the east of Graz. In 1714, the order of St. Paul commissioned (most probably) the architects Andreas and Johann Georg Stengg to erect the church. More than 200 steps lead up Purberg to the major shrine of the Virgin Mariy in Graz - the pilgrimage church of Mariatrost. A curved Baroque façade and two huge towers flanked by the wings of a monastery in which - intermittently - up to the year 1996 monks were living. Through the lantern in the dome, skylight gets into the church and brightens up the high altar with the late-Gothic madonna. The dress is Baroque. As is the altar itself the grey marble was quarried immediately on Purberg. The marble side altars with thier impressive intarsia were donated by Styrian noble families. The interior is characterized especially by the frescos painted by Lukas von Schram and Johann Baptist Scheidt. They glorify the Virgin Mary, also as a "helper on the road to victory", which is underlined by a scene showing the Battle of Lepanto in which the Turks were defeated. A gem of the church's furnishing is the pulpit. It was created by Veit Königer in 1779. The statue in the highest position on the canopy symbolizes faith. Expressive figures are reaching out for it, seeking help in the cross. Hope with an anchor and Charity with a heart represented on the pulpit itself complete the three Christian virtues. In 1999 the pilgrimage church of Mariatrost was bestowed with the title Basilica by Pope John Paul II.
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Dokument 5: Ecological Park in Hartberg http://www.oekopark.at/ This ecological park combines science, business and adventure. We visited the Climate Tower and the Experimentarium: 2 groups with about 30 people; guided tours (20 min) in English, after that time for your own. Experimentarium: The interactive exhibition invites people to touch, to try, to play and to understand experiments in science and technology.
We had a guided tour by the head of the science centre, Dr. Adolf Heschl, in the Experimentarium, a small science centre for physics, chemistry, biology and environmental topics. Students as well as teachers could try a lot of experiments by their own. Main topics of the current exhibition:
Kosmology: from the beginnings of the universe to Einstein
Boubble dome: geometry, bubbles and architecture
Energy: common and new technologies of energy production, efficiency of new technologies, etc.
Climate Tower: In this 6-floor high building the consequences of global warming are shown. Each floor shows with a lot of pictures what happens with flora and wildlife worldwide if the mean temperature increases by one degree, 2 degrees or up to 6 degrees Celsius. In addition an elevator brings you to the highest point of the parks and offers a marvellous view to the surroundings of Eastern Styria.
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Dokument 6: Riegersburg
http://veste-riegersburg.at/
3 different museums can be visited: The Castle, witches and weapons. The Castle The most impressive landmark of East Styria is situated on the rock of a volcano, which is 482m high. As early as 1122 someone called Rüdiger von Hohenberg built a castle in this place, which was more and more enlarged in the course of centuries. The castle got its today’s appearance, which was due to Katharina Elisabeth von Galler, née Wechsler (‘Gallerin’) in the middle of the seventeenth century. This colossal construction served as a refuge-camp for the population during the Turkish war and was never occupied. Since 1822 the family Liechtenstein has owned the Riegersburg. Please note the difference between the figure, which represents the Gallerin, and her portrait on the wall. The Witches The reason why this museum was established is this: between 1673 and 1675 the greatest witch trial in Styria took place in this region. 95 women and men were charged to have caused hail and thunderstorm. The hearing was held at Feldbach, 9 Km from here, and the Government Commissioner was Count Purgstall, the son in law of Lady Gallerin, who completed the castle in the 17th century. About 20 of the accused were executed by sword or cord. In this room you are in the scene of such a trial: the woman behind the chains is the witch, she has been tortured during the past days, she has also confessed, and now she comes in to hear the judgment. In this particular room, however, there has never been such a trial. Weapons of Riegersburg This collection of arms, consisting of armors, swords, various cutting and stabbing weapons, guns of various types etc. was previously in the castle armory and depots. Only a small part of it was shown at the castle exhibition. The visitor will be included in the new exhibition; touching and handling (some) of the objects will be encouraged.
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Dokument 7: Zotter’s chocolate factory http://www.zotter.at/en/homepage.html The visitor may experience the creation of the chocolate from the bean to the finished bar. The raw cocoa comes from Latin America, all the suppliers are certified as organic and fair trade. The guided tour starts with a brief welcome by an employee and the Coca Film. Afterwards you will walk in the footsteps of Zotter chocolate in the company (using an audio guide) and gain insight into all production processes from the roasting, via the milling up to the conching and taste intermediate products such as cocoa nibs or roller powder.
The entire Zotter range including rarities like Bird's Eye Chili and Marc de Champagne is produced in ORGANIC quality. "For us it was important to not merely produce a niche product with an organic label, but to shift the entire range to organic cultivation. Since we have built on quality and regional culture right from the start and refrained from the use of preservatives, artificial flavours and similar shiny products from the chemical industry, it was a matter of consistently pursuing our organic philosophy." Since 2004 Zotter has been a permanent licence partner of FAIRTRADE Austria. Zotter acquires the basic raw materials such as cocoa and cane sugar from fair trade in organic quality. Since according to Josef Zotter, “as cocoa processing company we carry the responsibility for the living and working conditions of the cocoa farmers in Third World countries. Fair trade creates opportunities for small farmers and plantation workers in the producing countries. They are able to emancipate themselves from fluctuating world market prices and establish their own self-determined existence in which child labour and environmental exploitation are foreign words.” Solar & Geothermal Energy: The entire production runs on eco-power. The Edible Zoo is selfsufficient, as its power is supplied by a photo-voltaic system generating approximately 100,000 kW/h. 9 PV movers with a total peak output of 64.8 kW keep turning towards the sun like sunflowers
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to maximise efficiency. Surplus energy is fed into the workshop where the chocolate is made, supplying up to 60 per cent of its energy demand in combination with the steam-driven power station. The remaining 40 per cent are supplied by Oekostrom GmbH from renewable sources. Far from being regarded as waste, even cocoa bean shells are either converted into thermal energy in the company’s steam-driven power station or used as fertiliser for the vegetable patches in the Edible Zoo.The hot-water supply is powered by geothermal energy. Spring Water & Organic Food: We source drinking water from our own spring and collect rain water for our agricultural operation in the Edible Zoo. Every day our employees get a freshly prepared free organic meal consisting of homemade pasta, freshly milled grain and meat and fruit from our own organic agricultural operation in the Edible Zoo. Bioplastics & Non-Glossy Packaging: We use bioplastics made by Biomat (www.biomat.info)from renewable sources for our packaging needs. We would prefer not to use any film packaging at all, but unfortunately there is currently no viable alternative for companies operating in the food sector. Our packaging is made from environmentally friendly paper without glossy coating and printed with environmentally friendly colours. Although the decision to use uncoated rather than high-gloss paper did result in a temporary drop in sales, we stuck with it and our sales figures soon got back to normal. E-mobility: Josef Zotter drives an electric Vauxhall Ampera to work. The company is currently in the process of converting its entire vehicle fleet to electric cars and already has more electric than petrolfuelled cars on the road. Self-sufficiency: Zotter’s personal energy supply is completely self-sufficient – he even produces more power than he needs. His organic farm at home and his Edible Zoo, which supplies the company’s cafeteria, make him self-sufficient in every respect. Zotter has been awarded the Trigos Prize for Corporate Social Responsibility several times. Zotter products are consistently rated as "excellent" in the Greenpeace Market Check for social as well as ecological aspects – ingredients, transport, packaging, GM, animal welfare – and are sometimes the only company to achieve that score. 2012 Zotter is awarded certification as a Climate Alliance Partner.
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Dokument 8: Environmental studies Possible topics to be investigated by students next year: (May 20th) Austria: Italia: France: Poland: Romania: Spain: Sweden: Turkey: UK:
Air Pollution Agriculture chemical treatments Air quality Water pollution All contamination problems Ozone in atmosphere and air pollution Global warming and flooding Air quality advantages and disadvantages of tidal energy
Coordinator proposal: All the partners will include any topic about air quality in their area, although their main focus be in any other more interesting point. All the work will also include: proposed solutions in the studied topic coming from students and any environmental action developed in the school after the environmental study. As stated in the project, there should be a statistic study in all the works. It will be a very interesting point, as suggested during Graz meeting, to design and develop active environmental activities for all the next year meetings.
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Dokument 9: Sightseeing in Vienna 1. St. Charles Church http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/from-g-to-k/st-charles-church A magnificent religious building with a large cupola: St. Charles' Church, the last work of the eminent baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The church, finished in 1739 by his son Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, was built as the result of a vow taken by Emperor Charles VI during a plague epidemic. The church is consecrated to the patron saint of the Habsburg emperor, Saint Charles Borromeo: The exhibits in the small Museo Borromeo include the traveling clothes of the Bishop of Milan. The renovation of the High Altar, designed by Fischer von Erlach, has been completed and it has regained its original splendor. The opulent frescoes in the cupola by Johannes Michael Rottmayr contain 1250 square meters of incredible splendor and beautiful colors; they show the glory of Saint Charles Borromeo.
2. Vienna State Opera House http://www.wien.info/en/music-stage-shows/opera-operetta/state-opera The Vienna State Opera is one of the top opera addresses in the world – where you can enjoy the very best in first-class productions. This famous stage offers a different program every day, with over 50 operas and ballet works on around 300 days per season. The Repertoire of the State Opera covers an impressive cross-section of the full spectrum of operatic literature.The six opera premieres in the 2013/14 seasonconsist of State Opera premieres (Adriana Lecouvreur, Das schlaue Füchslein), revived repertoire works (Lohengrin, Magic Flute) and works not performed at the State Opera for quite some time (Fanciulla del West, Rusalka). This series of new productions is supplemented with therevivals of Anna Bolena, Les Contes d'Hoffmann and the English-language classic Peter Grimes. Once again there is a packed line-up of stars: Edita Gruberova, Elīna Garanča and Angela Gheorghiu will be there, as will Neil Shicoff, Thomas Hampson and Rolando Villazón. Plácido Domingo conducts Madama Butterfly and sings in Nabucco. Anna Netrebko performs together with Erwin Schrott on the State Opera stage in Gounod'sFaust. In April, May, June and September, around 150 opera and ballet performances will be screened live on Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz in front of the opera building on a 50 m² screen - it's classical enjoyment for free!
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3. St. Stephen’s Cathedral http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/st-stephens-cathedral Stephen's Cathedral, Austria's most eminent Gothic edifice, houses a wealth of art treasures, some of which can only be seen during a guided tour: The red-marble sepulcher of Emperor Frederick III, sculpted from 1467 to 1513 by Niclas Gerhaert van Leyden; the pulpit, a work from 1514-15 by Anton Pilgram (who put his own relief portrait underneath it as his signature); the Altarpiece of Wiener Neustadt (Wiener Neustädter Altar), a Gothic winged altar from 1447 - and the tomb of Prince Eugene of Savoy, dating from 1754. The architectural history begins in the 12th century, the oldest remaining parts date from the 13th century: the Giant Gate (Riesentor) and the Towers of the Heathens (Heidentürme), both Romanesque in style. Duke Rudolph IV of Habsburg, in 1359, laid the cornerstone of the Gothic nave with its two aisles. The South Tower (Südturm), 448 feet high, was completed in 1433 (the Viennese have given it the nickname Steffl, which also denotes the whole cathedral). After 1511, building in the Gothic style ceased; the unfinished North Tower (Nordturm), 224 feet high, was capped with a makeshift Renaissance spire in 1579. During the 18th century, the cathedral was decorated with Baroque altarpieces - the panel of the main altar shows the stoning of its namesake St. Stephen, the first martyr of Christendom. In the North Tower, Austria's largest bell, known as the Boomer Bell (Pummerin), has found its home (there is an express elevator to the observation platform - skip this great view if you are afraid of heights!). Next to the North Tower elevator is the entrance to the catacombs underneath the cathedral, an underground burial place which contains the mausoleum of the bishops, the tombs of Duke Rudolph the Founder and 14 other members of the Habsburg family, and 56 urns with the intestines of the Habsburgs buried between 1650 and the 19th century in the Imperial Burial Vault. In the South Tower, the 343 steps of a tight spiral staircase lead up to the watchman's lookout 246 feet above street level; it was once used as a fire warden's station but now serves as an observation point. Prices:
Adults €4,50¸
Opening hours:
Mo - Sa, 06:00 - 22:00, Su, 07:00 - 22:00, on holidays, 07:00 - 22:00
Guided tour: Mo - Sa, 10:30, on holidays, 15:00 Guided tours of the catacombs:
on holidays, 13:30 - 16:30
4. National Theater http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/from-a-to-f/national-theater The theater was built from 1874 to 1888 according to designs by Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer. Ever since 1776, when Emperor Joseph II founded the Court and National Theater, the institution preceding the present-day Burgtheater, this theater, with its distinguished company, has held a leading position in the dramatic arts of the German-speaking countries.
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5. University of Vienna http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/university-of-vienna On 12 March 1365 Duke Rudolph IV (the 'Founder') founded the University of Vienna, 'Alma Mater Rudolphina Vindobonensis' as it has been called by literary sources. The members of this 'universitas magistrorum et scholarium' (the community of teachers and learners) were exempt from taxes and military service, they had their own dress code and jurisdiction. In the course of the Reformation, starting in 1520, the University of Vienna, a 'papal institution', suffered a great loss of prestige. Due to the First Turkish Siege of Vienna in 1529, recurring epidemics, the city's economic decline, and the increasing competition between universities, the number of students sank. King Ferdinand I tried to counteract this development with new reforms and started to turn the University of Vienna into a Catholic stronghold. For this purpose he installed the Jesuits there in 1551, and gave them two theological chairs. Consequently, tensions and conflicts between the Jesuit school and the University itself arose, making Emperor Ferdinand II pass the 1623 'Sanctio Pragmatica'. Thus, the Jesuits became the teachers at the theological and philosophical faculties, and the student numbers rallied. The Jesuit order was to keep its dominating position for the coming 150 years. In the middle of the 18th century, Empress Maria Theresa ensured that the Jesuits lost a great deal of their former influence on university life as they had greatly neglected the 'secular' faculties. As both the Church and the University's own administrative bodies were eliminated, the University became an educational establishment of the state, focusing on the education of civil servants and physicians, but not on the education of scholars. Joseph II continued with the reforms of Maria Theresa, abolishing both academic jurisdiction and official attire. His laws of tolerance enabled Protestants to enrol at the University for the first time in 1778, while in 1782 Jews were admitted to the studies of Medicine and Law. Joseph II was also the one to introduce German as the compulsory language of instruction in 1783. In 1884, Emperor Franz Joseph I inaugurated the new main building of the University of Vienna on the Ringstrasse, which had been erected by the architect Heinrich von Ferstel.
6. Vienna City Hall http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/from-l-to-r/city-hall Friedrich von Schmidt, who had been the architect of the Cathedral of Cologne, designed and built Vienna's City Hall, the most important secular building in the neo-Gothic style in the city, between 1872 and 1883. The tower measures 321 feet, not including the "Iron Knight of City Hall" (Eiserner Rathausmann) who measures almost 20 feet to the top of his pennant. This knight on top of the tower has become one of the symbols of Vienna. The Vienna City Hall is the seat of the mayor and governor of Vienna ( with Vienna being both a city and a state since 1922, these functions are combined in one person ), of the City Council and of the Assembly. It also houses the Municipal and State Libraries and Archives which hold many key documents of Vienna's history and a large collection of local memorabilia.
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On both sides of the approach from the Ring (closed to motor vehicles ), statues honor personalities who left their mark on the history of the city. The Park of City Hall (Rathauspark) is a very attractively laid-out garden with two fountains and several interesting monuments, among them the memorial to the painter F. G. Waldmüller and the statues of two great composers of waltzes, Johann Strauss Father and Joseph Lanner. Facing the Burgtheater across the Ring are monuments to President Theodor Körner (1873-1957) and Mayor Karl Seitz (1869-1950).
7. Parliament & Palais Epstein http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/from-l-to-r/parliament-palais-epstein Theophil Hansen created the parliament building, constructed from 1873 to 1883 in the style of the Greek Revival. He also created the Pallas Athena Fountain in front of it; this 15-foot figure of the Greek goddess of wisdom is by Karl Kundmann. Until 1918, the elected representatives serving in the Council of the Empire met here in legislative session for the Austrian half of the dual Austro-Hungarian Monarchy which extended from Galicia (now Polish and Ukrainian territory) all the way to Dalmatia. The Palais Epstein, located right next to Parliament, is one of the most important palaces on Vienna’s Ring Boulevard and, like the Parliament, was also designed by Theophil Hansen. Since the fall of 2005 it has been used for parliamentary purposes. In modern Austria, this is the seat of both the National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament whose representatives are elected by popular vote, and the Federal Council, whose members are chosen by the various states to serve in the upper house. To the left of Parliament is the Monument of the Republic, with statues of the prominent Social Democrats Jakob Reumann (mayor of Vienna from 1919 to 1923), Viktor Adler (one of the ideological fathers of the Austrian republic and its foreign minister in 1918) and Ferdinand Hanusch (minister of social affairs from 1918 to 1920). To the right of Parliament is the Renner Memorial, dedicated to Dr. Karl Renner, Austria's chancellor at the establishment of the republic in 1918 and at its re-establishment in 1945 and president from 1945 to 1950.
8. Imperial Palace - Hofburg http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/imperial-palace For more than seven centuries, the great empire of the Habsburgs was ruled from the Imperial Palace. Today, the Gothic Imperial Chapel, where the Vienna Boys’ Choir performs during High Mass on Sunday, is a remnant of the Imperial Palace during the Middle Ages. In the center of the old city, you can admire the splendor and magnificence of the daily life of the noblest family of the Habsburg monarchy when you visit the private apartments and state rooms. Numerous museums and collections represent the imperial family’s passion for art. The Imperial Palace, which until 1918 was inhabited by the imperial family, was originally a castle built in the thirteenth century, which was extended to a splendid residence in accordance with the increasing power of the Habsburgs and the expansion of their realm.
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Today, the Imperial Palace houses the office of the President of Austria as well as an important congress center and numerous art collections, like the Imperial Apartments, the Imperial Silver Collection, Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasures, Austrian national Library, Chapel of the Imperial Palace and the Spanish Riding School.
9.
Museum of Natural History, Museum of Art and History, MuseumsQuartier Vienna http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/museums-exhibitions/top/museum-natural-history The history of the earth and the breathtaking variety of nature can be practically experienced due to 20 million objects: From insects to gemstones and minerals and pterodactyls, the Habsburgs united everything under the roof of this museum near the Imperial Palace. Numerous taxidermy specimens of animals that are either extinct or threatened with extinction make the collection all the more valuable. The architectural mirror image of the Museum of Natural History is the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum) on the opposite side, which was also built according to designs by Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer. Numerous major art works of European art history, among them Raphael’s "Madonna in the Meadow," Vermeer’s "The Allegory of Painting," the Infanta paintings by Velazquez, masterworks by Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Titian and Tintoretto are housed in the paintings gallery. The Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection contains fascinating treasures from mysterious cultures long past. MuseumsQuartier: Vienna’s exciting art complex near the Imperial Palace offers not only renowned museums such as the Leopold Museum, with its numerous works by Schiele, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Kunsthalle: a lively array of restaurants, cafés and bars make this museum district even more attractive.
10. Schönbrunn Palace http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/imperial/schoenbrunn-palace Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer residence of the imperial family, is one of Europe's most impressive Baroque palace complexes. The land had been in the possession of the Habsburgs since 1569, when the wife of Emperor Ferdinand II. had a summer residence built there in 1642, which she called "Schönbrunn". The palace and garden complex built here from 1696, after the Turkish occupation, was redesigned from the ground up by Maria Theresia after 1743. For most of the year, the Habsburgs resided in the countless chambers that a large imperial family needed in addition to the formal state rooms. Emperor Franz Joseph, who later married the enchanting Sisi and reigned from 1848 to 1916, was born here in 1830. The monarch spent his last years entirely in the palace, which became the property of the new Republic of Austria only two years after his death. Today, the palace is part of UNESCO’s cultural heritage due to its historic importance, its unique grounds and its splendid furnishings. The Room of Millions, paneled with rosewood and decorated from floor to ceiling with priceless Indian and Persian miniatures, is probably the most magnificent Rococo room anywhere in the world. The
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Congress of Vienna danced in the Grand Gallery in 1814-15; today, the Austrian government gives state receptions there when important heads of state come to Austria for official visits. The Gloriette was built in 1775. Today, the inscription of the middle part of the building still bears witness: "JOSEPHO II. AUGUSTO ET MARIA THERESIA IMPERANTIB. MDCCLXXV" (Erected 1775 under the reign of Emperor Joseph and Empress Maria Theresia). Prices:
Imperial Tour: Adults: € 11,50; Children (till age 18): € 8,50 Grand Tour:
Adults: € 14,50; Children (till age 18): € 9,50
Gloriette:
Adults: € 2,50
Maze:
Adults: € 3,50; Children (till age 18): € 2,20
Zoo:
Adults: € 14,50; Children (till age 18): € 7,00 (groups > 10)
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