Schlossberg Graz

Also known as Grazer Schlossberg

The Schlossberg is a 473-meter wooded hill rising from the middle of Graz, and the Clock Tower at its summit, the Uhrturm, is the city's emblem and the reason most photographs of Graz look the way they do. The hill was a fortress for centuries and was considered impregnable: it was never taken by force.

The Schlossberg is the wooded hill at the heart of Graz, topped by the Uhrturm (Clock Tower), the city’s emblem, which survived Napoleon’s 1809 demolition order because Graz citizens paid a ransom to preserve it. The fortress on the hill was never taken by force in its history, and its defensive position above the Mur river defined Graz’s urban layout for centuries. Access is by free walking path, Schlossbergbahn funicular (EUR 2.50), or a modern glass lift drilled 77 meters through the rock face. The hill contains 6 km of WWII air-raid tunnels; one section houses the Dom im Berg performance venue. The Clock Tower’s hands deliberately display the hour hand larger than the minute hand, a design that predates standardized clock faces and has never been changed.