Graz Castle

The Graz Castle is located in the east of the old town of Graz, near the Graz Cathedral, and was built in 1438 by Duke Frederick V, the later Roman-German Emperor Frederick III. Due to the low defense value, the castle was connected by a hidden corridor with the fortress on the castle hill. From 1564 Graz was the capital of Inner Austria and the castle became the seat of the Austrian archdukes. Because of this position, it was rebuilt and enlarged. After Archduke Ferdinand II was crowned emperor in 1619 and moved to Vienna, the castle lost its function as seat of the sovereign and was neglected. In the following centuries, there were several renovations, but only included parts of the building fabric. In 1822, part of the castle was considered dilapidated and between 1853 and 1854 part of the building was demolished. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were again structural extensions and since 1922, the castle of Graz is the seat of the Styrian governor. In the Second World War, the building fabric was partially badly damaged and rebuilt from 1947. Between 1950 and 1952 new buildings were built, which are known as New Castle. Today, there are in addition to the office of the Governor also some departments of the Office of the Styrian Provincial Government. The castle is only partially open to the public. So only the courtyards and the double spiral staircase can be freely visited.