Grazer Schlossberg

Grazer Schlossberg is a 123-meter-high rock of dolomite stone that carries the medieval fortress and shapes the city's landscape. On its southwestern slope stands the 28-meter-high Clock Tower, the well-known landmark of the Styrian capital. The slender tower, with its square floor plan and four large clock faces, marks the point where the sovereign's castle met the old city wall. Its core probably dates from the 13th century, which makes it one of the oldest buildings on the hill. It took on its present form in the 16th century, when the first clock was installed, while a wooden battlement walk once gave fire watchmen a wide view over the city center.

Visitors can experience the Clock Tower as a central element of the historic fortress complex. Inside are three historic bells, including the oldest bell in Graz, dating from 1382, which strikes every hour on the hour. Another bell once served as a fire alarm, while a third, the so-called Poor Sinners' Bell, originally tolled at executions. Below the tower, the Stone Dog keeps watch from a ledge in the wall. According to legend, a barking dog saved the daughter of Emperor Frederick III from a kidnapping in 1481, whereupon the emperor had the animal immortalized in the form of a statue.

The Schlossberg and its Clock Tower have lived through a turbulent history. During the siege by Napoleon's troops in 1809, the tower was hit but remained largely undamaged. The citizens of Graz were able to buy it back at the time, so it was not razed like the rest of the fortress complex. In recent years the tower underwent extensive renovation to repair damage caused by ground moisture. As part of Graz's year as a European Capital of Culture in 2003, the Clock Tower was also temporarily accompanied by a black steel twin, an artwork meant to recall the darker chapters of the city's history.