Franziskanerkloster, Graz, Austria
European cities have a habit of secreting the best places behind innocuous walls. There is the Vrtbov Garden in Prague, the Sebastiansfriedhof in Salzburg, and this peaceful oasis near the Hauptplatz. Founded by Minorites in A.D. 1239, the Franziskaner Klosterkirche is the oldest monastery in Graz. When the Franciscan order
Market Shopping, Franziskanerviertel, Graz, Austria
The Franziskanerviertel (“Franciscan Quarter”) sits in the protective embrace of the Franziskanerkirche. Back in the old days, the area was known as the Kälberne Viertel (“Veal Quarter”). Farmers drove their cattle into town to be slaughtered next to the river. The smell must have been… pungent. Restaurants, chocolateries, and children’s clothing
Continue readingMarket Shopping, Franziskanerviertel, Graz, Austria
Aerial View, Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria
Ever walked through the innards of an alien? You can at the Kunsthaus. Like the Murinsel, the Kunsthaus (“Art Museum”) was created for European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003. The architects, Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, took a mass of iridescent acrylic panels and wove them into an amorphous
Cigarette Break, Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria
Thanks to the presence of the university, Graz is a student town.
Skin, Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria
The blue acrylic “skin” of the Kunsthaus is designed to act as a giant exhibition screen. Embedded within the walls are 930 40W fluorescent rings – or pixels – that can be set at a variety of illumination levels. Check it out at night.
Bathroom, Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria
In the Kunsthaus, even the restrooms are trippy. (They can be found in the basement, next to the lockers.)
Mariahilferkirche, Graz, Austria 1
It’s hard to go a day in Austria without running headfirst into a Baroque bonbon. You’ll find this one, the Mariahilferkirche, in the Mariahilferplatz, close by the Murinsel and the Kunsthaus. It is still home to Graz’s Minorites – their monastery is located to the south of the church. The