Graz–Oct. 17, 2025

Grazer Burg (Graz Castle)

After some eight months here, I finally got to one of the big tourist attractions: the Grazer Burg 🇦🇹 with the double spiral staircase 🇦🇹. According to the Wikipedia article, the original castle was built in 1438.

On the way there, I passed a church that had been cleaned up and got some photos of it:

Lintel above doorway with ornate scrollwork and cherubs

Bluish-green door with elaborate carving on handles and above the door frame

In center of door frame, a face. To either side, scrollwork that faintly resemles a sea lion; to its right, scrollwork on a half-sphere. Below the face, a bunch of grapes.

Clock at top of church; spire with cross above the clock

Weathered carving of two people; below it a Latin inscription

Here are photos of the double spiral staircase, which is probably one of the most over-photographed places in all of Graz, but I didn’t let that stop me.

Text in German and English: Doppelwendeltreppe / Double Spiral Staircase

Text in German and English: Begehen auf eigene Gefahr / Enter at your own risk

I didn’t let this sign stop me either.

Two stairways joined at center; one angles up to left, the other up to the right

View of stairway spiraling at left bottom; at top right, it diverges again.

Shows the spiraling of one branch of staircase clearly

View down stairs at the joining point of the spiral.

Downward view of joining of two staircases

Here’s a view from the top of the staircase.

View of Burg from the top of the staircase

And here are workers on a future project. A nearby sign says: ”This is where the new visitor world of Graz Castle is being created. From 2028, you will be able to search for traces of the medieval castle in the courtyard, relax in the urban forest, stroll through the historic rooms and learn about the castle’s history.

Even before then, you can climb the double spiral staircase.”

Workers who appear to be excavating the foundation of an older building

On the way back, I passed an art gallery with works by Hannes Mair 🇦🇹:

Cardboard box filled with paintings that are 30 x 30 cm, 30 euro each.

Various small paintings by someone named Hannes

Signage

First part of a word BÜHNEN... with the umlaut vertically placed inside the U.

The vertical umlaut makes an appearance...

sign divided into four lines: SCHAU / SPIEL / HAUSG / RAZ

Interesting “word break” for GRAZ. I guess it’s there to draw people’s attention.

Toy geese in nurse’s hats. One has balloons in hand, another has a heart with a bandage on it, the third is surrounded by small birds. There are posters about mental health next to each one of them.

A display about mental health resources in Graz.