Chronic asthmatics may wish to skip the ~260 steps that lead up the Schlossberg Clock Tower. But if you’re keen to get a great view of the city to the west, have at it. You’ll find the bottom of the Schlossbergstiege at the Schlossbergplatz near the Holy Trinity Church and the Museum im Palais.
The staircase’s lyrical nickname is the “Russian Steps” (because they were built by Russian WWI prisoners). But it is also called the Kriegssteig “War Trail.” Peace-loving citizens have petitioned to have the name changed to Friedenssteig (“Peace Trail”).
The steps provide access to the former gardens of the aristocratic Herberstein family – the Herbersteingarten. In former times, the Herbersteins grew wine on the Schlossberg’s southern face. Later, during the interwar years, they opened the terrace to the public. Now called the “Hanging Gardens of Graz,” these are filled with lemon trees, wisteria, fig trees, and the like.
