Graz

The second-largest city in Austria and the capital of Styria, first documented in the twelfth century when it developed as a fortified settlement under the Babenbergs. It became an important commercial and administrative centre in the late Middle Ages, and from the fourteenth century served as the residence of the Inner Austrian branch of the Habsburgs, which is where much of its Renaissance and Baroque architecture comes from. Its historic centre is considered one of the best-preserved in Central Europe. Four universities and four other institutions put more than 63,000 students in the city.