Rediscovering Graz

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September 13th 2008

Published: September 13th 2008

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MooseIsLoose

Statue/Monument

A religious statue/monument I walk by everyday.

Like I said yesterday, Eva, my teacher, took us out into the city for class, and sent us in varying directions to learn the history of Graz. Today, I retraced our steps and took some pictures and thought I'd share the things with you, since I think it's beyond cool and totally mindboggling to think about somet of these things.

P.S. Today's life lesson: Always choose American batteries. As I was walking around, I went to the Grazer Dom, or Cathedral of Graz, and was actually the only person inside there for a while, which was really cool. I walked around, looked at things, read some of the Latin inscriptions here and there, it was nice. I went to take some pictures, and of course, my batteries I'd bought in Slovenia were shot. I decided I'd come back, as I knew there was a grocery store close by that I could stop at and pick up some. I went to the grocery store, and after having a debate in my head about prices, I bought 4 AA batteries by an Austrian company, claiming long life. I then went on my way, stopping at school to take some pictures, and only

Mariahilferplatz

I found a shortcut to school through Mariahilferplatz, Square for Mary the Helper. This is the church there in her honor.

got one picture in before the batteries died! I couldn't believe it! All 4 of them were shot! I went back to Spar, the grocery store, grabbed a pack of 8 AA DURACELL batteries, slammed them down on the counter, bought them, and stormed out. I then went back on my merry way to taking more pictures, stopping again at the Dom. I put all the pictures of the Dom together, though, so that it's easier to see them. Enjoy.

Additional photos below

Photos: 37, Displayed: 23

Die Reise in den Himmel

A sign in Mariahilferplatz for a concert celebrating die Reise in den Himmel, or Journey into the Sky. In English, the Assumption of Mary.

Oldest House in Graz

You might recognize this building from my pictures of the Hauptplatz. It's actually the oldest house in Graz, where the prince resided. Directly to the left of it is Sporgasse.

Sporgasse

A twisty, windy road leading right off the Hautplatz. It was created naturally by horses, and became a place to come to to buy and sell Pferde [horses] in the Middle Ages.

Notice Anything?

Find anything a bit odd about this building? Perhaps the man jutting out of it?

The Turk

Graz was captured by the Turks when they tried to conquer the Austrian Empire. Well, everything in Graz was conquered except the Schloßberg. The story goes that a cannonball was shot from the Schloßberg at this Palais [city palace], broke through the window, and hit the plate of a Turk eating dinner, causing it to fly out the window. In an attempt to save the plate, another Turk lunged out the window, trying to grab it. And here you have him.

Statue

A religious statue.

Grazer Dom

The Cathedral of Graz

WWI Memorial

A memorial for WWI carved into the side of the Grazer Dom. Have seen a bunch of WWI memorials, and none for WWII.

Das Gottesplagenbild

Painted by Thomas von Villach in 1485, it shows both the oldest image of Graz, but also the three plagues that struck Graz in 1480: locusts, the Black Plague, and the Turkish invasion. It was rapidly deteriorating, though, from the weather, so is now behind glass [and there's a reflection which makes it harder to see].

Das Mausoleum

The Mausoleum attached to the Graz Dom. It houses some of the Hapsburg family, the rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for over 600 years [up until WWI, if you can believe it].