Content Creation & Fine Art Photography
Content Creation & Fine Art Photography
Up and up we go, where we meet, nobody knows! Kids can explore this optical puzzle in Graz’s Burg (“Castle”), now used as the headquarters of the regional government. Set in a round tower, two sets of spiral stairs curve up, around, and sometimes into each other. Designed by a
Continue readingDoppelwendeltreppe (Double Spiral Staircase), Burg, Graz, Austria 1
Graz residents call the Doppelwendeltreppe the Stairs of Reconciliation. Whichever way you go, you will always meet in the middle. The more amorous Slovakians call their twin staircase the Lovers‘ Stairs.
And there was the wail of my zither and the loud cry of my song for the death of the father… Jews were active in Graz as early as the 13th century. They buried their dead in the old Jewish cemetery, near the present day Joanneumring. In a typical act
Continue readingJuedische Grabstein (Jewish Gravestone), Burg, Graz, Austria
The history of Graz’s famous university begins with the Jesuits and their efforts to beat back Protestantism. It was a gradual takeover. First, under the protective eye of their Catholic patron, Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria, the Jesuits established a theological and philosophical school. Then, in 1578, they created
These cryptic vowels began popping up on Austrian public buildings during the reign of Frederick III (1440-1493). Frederick never explained why he chose this monogram, which has led to conspiracy theories worthy of Dan Brown. Scholars have suggested: Austria est imperio optime unita (“Austria is the empire best united”). Austria
Graz’s cathedral stands on the shadow of a 12th century Romanesque church dedicated to St. Ägydius (St. Giles). 300 years later, in 1438, the long-lived Frederick III decided to use the site for his parish church. Frederick’s castle – the Burg – and his mysterious imprimatur are right across the street.
Originally, the Dom’s exterior would have been covered in Gothic frescoes such as the famous Landplagenbild.
The Black Death, Turks, locusts. It was tough staying alive in the medieval world. A.D. 1480 was – to put it mildly – not a good year for Graz. Barbarians were at the gates of the city, locusts had decimated the harvest, and bubonic plague was stalking the streets. Death
There were 53 million people in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the start of World War I. By the end, 1,200,000-1,494,200 of these men and women were dead or missing in military action; another 467,000 civilians had died of disease or malnutrition. If you want to get a sense of how
Continue readingWorld War One Memorial, Dom, Graz, Austria 1
