Brief information:
- How do you get to the Castle Hill? You can reach the Schloßberg plateau on foot via the Felsensteig, the Schlossbergbahn (on the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai), or the lift (at the Schlossbergplatz). See details below.
- How high is the Schlossberg Graz? With a height of 124 meters, the Schlossberg Graz is the highest natural point in the state capital and offers a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view of the entire city.
- What is the Graz Clock Tower? The Graz Clock Tower is a 28-meter-high clock tower. It stands on the Schlossberg and, with its clock faces measuring over 5 meters in diameter and its gold-plated hands, is the landmark of Graz.
Right in the centre is the Castle Hill, which served as a fortress between 1125 and 1809. It even held out against Napoleon. In 1839, the bare rock was converted into a park. Here you can find the Graz Clock Tower and the Bell tower.
There are 3 ways to get to the Schloßberg:
- On foot via the 260 steps of the Felsensteig from Schlossbergplatz or via paths from Karmeliterplatz or Wickenburggasse.
- With the Schlossberg railway (on Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai). The funicular railway with its 60 % incline and its glass roof offers a top view of Graz's old town. The ride costs 2.5€ and runs approximately every 15 minutes. You can reach the valley station with tram lines 3 and 5 (Schlossbergbahn stop) - rides from 10:00-18:00h
- By lift it goes up quickly for about 1 minute. At the destination you get off directly at the Graz clock tower. The boarding point is at the entrance to the Graz fairy tale train at Schlossbergplatz. The trip costs 1.9€
Those who are brave enough can also slide all the way back down in a sack via a system of tubes. The tube winds its way around the elevator shaft. The ride lasts about 40 seconds.
The Graz Clock Tower
The hands on the massive clock faces often cause confusion, as the clocks in Graz seem to run differently. Originally there was only one large hand for the hours - the hand for the minutes was added later. This resulted in the hands being swapped. The clock mechanism, which Michael Sylvester Funck built in 1712, still works today, but has been electrically operated since the middle of the 20th century.
There are still three preserved bells in the tower. The oldest bell in Graz, cast in 1382, strikes the hours.
The interior of the mountain
The mountain itself contains a tunnel system several kilometers long, which served as shelters during air raids and bombing raids during the Second World War. Today, some of them are used for events. One way to experience the interior of the mountain is to Graz Fairytale Railway.
The Graz Fairytale Railway is a narrow-gauge railway with a track width of 600 mm in the tunnel of Graz's Schlossberg, which starts at the lower level of the Schlossberg lift at Schlossbergplatz. It is an attraction for young and old - a particularly popular excursion in the Styrian capital for families with children aged 4 and over. During the 35-minute journey, the train passes a total of 22 stations. There is a stop at 10. As an active part of a story, passengers can get involved in the action and solve puzzles together or collect valuable items, for example.
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