Schlossberg

The Schlossberg (lit. ‘Castle Mountain’) is a tree-clad hill near the center of Graz, Austria, and the site of a fortification. The hill, which is 473 meters (1,552 feet) above sea level, is now a public park with panoramic views of the city. It is home to a number of entertainment venues, cafés, and restaurants and is administered by Holding Graz, the city’s utility business.

Grazer Schloßberg

The Grazer Schloßberg is a large dolomite rock that forms the centre of Graz’s medieval old town, the capital of Styria in Austria.It stands 123 meters above Graz’s main plaza on the left side of the Mur.In addition to the clock tower, Graz’s landmark, there is also the bell tower with its bell “Liesl,” the Schloßberg casemates, the 94-meter-deep Türkenbrunnen, all of the castle’s remnants, and a variety of minor works of art.It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage City of Graz – Historical Center and Eggenberg Palace as the nucleus of Old Town Graz.

Visitors can ascend the mountain by the Schloßbergbahn, the Schloßberglift, or the 260 stairs.Alternatively, a number of routes go to the Schloßberg, adding greatly to the Schloßberg’s prominence as a recreational destination for Grazers and visitors.

The Schloßbergbahn, which was restored in 2004 and now has new carriages, has been in operation since 1894.This funicular connects the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai in the west to the casemates and the Schloßberg restaurant.The Schloßbergbahn’s operation hours were extended with the reopening of the Schloßberg restaurant (rebuilt by architect Christian Andexer) from Friday to Saturday until 2 a.m., Sunday until 10 p.m., and Monday to Thursday until midnight.

Since 2000, visitors have been able to ride the Schloßberg lift from Schloßbergplatz (entrance to the Märchenbahn) up to Dom im Berg level and then to the café directly above the clock tower.

For 4.1 million euros, a vertical shaft with a diameter of roughly seven meters was bored in the rock using existing tunnels, leading from the level of the Schloßbergplatz over 77 meters up to an aperture not far from the clock tower. The lift system, which has two independently operated cabins for a total of 15 persons, is placed in the shaft. The cabins ascend at a rate of 2.5 m/s, and the journey lasts roughly 30 seconds.

While the Schloßbergbahn has been paid for with a municipal public transportation ticket for many years, the lift, which is operated by the Holding Graz Linien like public transportation and the mountain railway, still has an independent fare of 2.00 euros for a single trip and 4.00 euros for ascent and descent (as of February 2023) collected via ticket machines at the two entry/exit points.However, there has been a so-called combination ticket for a number of years, with which the Schloßbergbahn and Schloßberglift may both be used in one direction.

The world’s highest indoor slide, at 64 meters, was to be erected within the Schloßberg in mid-2017.The slide will wrap around the current Schloßberg lift in the lift shaft, with the exit planned in the lift tunnel.The building permission was issued in June 2018, work started in July, and the grand opening occurred in February 2019.The slide’s ultimate track length is stated as 170 metres, with a sliding duration of 40 seconds and an average speed of 25 km/h.The 64-meter-high “highest underground slide in the world” opened in the mountain in 2019.The descending spiral’s rotation direction is reversed once, which is a unique characteristic.

History

The Schlossberg has been fortified since at least the 10th century. Architects from northern Italy built a 400 m (1,300 ft) long castle in the mid-16th century. Between 1528 and 1595, a cable-hauled lift was used to transfer building materials for the defenses. The castle was never taken, but it was completely razed by Napoleonic forces in 1809 as part of the Treaty of Schönbrunn. The clock tower (the Uhrturm) and bell tower (the Glockenturm) were saved when the citizens of Graz paid a ransom.

Ludwig von Welden transformed the castle’s ruins into a public park in 1839. The park comprises the Uhrturm, the Glockenturm, a cistern (the Türkenbrunnen), and two medieval castle bastions. The Uhrturm is a well-known landmark in the city, and it is unique in that the clock’s hands serve opposing functions, with the bigger one counting hours and the smaller one indicating minutes. Liesl, Graz’s largest bell, is housed in the Glockenturm.

A café with views of the old town may be found near the Uhrturm. There are also two tiny cafés on the Schlossberg’s western slope, one with table service and one with self-service. A hilltop restaurant with views over western Graz is located next to the funicular train terminal. The Kasemattenbühne, an open-air stage for concerts and events, is located in what was formerly the cellar of one of the demolished bastions.

Below the Schlossberg hill lies a huge network of tunnels built during WWII to shelter Graz’s civilian population from aerial attack. Some of these tunnels are still open to the public, such as one connecting Schlossbergplatz and Karmeliterplatz, but many are not.

Location

The Schlossberg is located in the heart of Graz, somewhat northeast of Main Square and under and east of the Mur River, which flows to the south.

Pretty steep pathways travel up to the mountain’s summit plateau from all four sides, with a few connectors, one of which is a slanted tunnel. Delivery motor traffic is permitted from Wickenburggasse (in the north) and Karmeliterplatz (in the south, through Sporgasse), but only in the morning and is regulated by barriers and cameras. Cyclists seldom climb up; it is technically prohibited.

The Schlossberg funicular (“Schloßbergbahn”), which transports passengers from the westside foot of the mountain (accessible via city-tram line 5) up to the restaurant with garden near the summit, gains 90% of the mountain’s height without effort.

A pair of extra-priced vertical elevators travel up to another restaurant 3/4 of the way up the mountain and about 10 meters above the clocktower. A small tunnel from Schloßbergplatz in the west leads to the lift at the bottom. A series of steps cut through a rocky wall in the midday light lead to the clocktower. The journey through the World War II tunnel half way up to the clocktower is rather warm in winter and cold in summer.

A tiny trail and a paved street lead up from Wickenburggasse via the dark, cool woodland on the north side.

Between Paulustor and Landessportzentrum, directly at the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn monument in Stadtpark, you may access the less congested routes from the east side. A children’s playground is accessible from here.

Entertainment

The Elevate Festival, a festival of modern music, art, and political dialogue, takes place in and around the Schlossberg every year.

The Fairytale Express Graz may be found in the huge tunnel connecting the elevator to the Schlossbergplatz. This is a popular children’s grotto railway trip.

The biggest indoor slide “Sclossbergrutsche Graz” finished construction in February 2017. The slide is made of huge tubular metal components that spiral around the elevator.The slide spans 170 meters and has a height difference of 64 meters.A ride lasts around 40 seconds and costs up to €7,80.

The Kasemattenbühne, a free-admission music venue, is located at the summit of the mountain. It is one of Graz’s most popular venue settings and features a retractable roof, allowing it to be utilized even when the weather is bad. The facility could accommodate 1310 people at the same time.

Historical buildings on the Schloßberg

The Great Cistern

Domenico dell’Allio’s cistern, erected between 1544 and 1547 according to drawings by Lazarus von Schwendi, is one of the biggest constructions of its kind, holding 900,000 gallons.Rainwater gathered in the interconnecting shafts was filtered and collected from the roofs of the surrounding castle structures.The cistern is now used as a reserve for extinguishing water.In 1897, a wrought-iron arbour was added to the stone fountain wreath from 1739.

The Schloßbergbühne in the casemates

Around 1578, the castle captain’s mansion was erected in the old moat, with vast subterranean vaults meant for storage but also used as a jail.Carriages could even drive over the vaults.A driveway on the west side may still be seen.

A panel investigated, among other things, the potential of reopening the ruins of the structure blown up by the French in 1809 as a tourist attraction between April 1913 and February 1914.

Following the concept of a natural theater, today’s open-air theater was created in 1937 and debuted on June 19, 1937, as part of the Graz Festival with Beethoven’s ” Fidelio ” (conductor: Karl Rankl).

The casemates’ enlargement (planned as a rentable event place) was linked in 1937 with the construction of the paved, dust-free road access, which included parking lots.Arrivals and departures were permitted before and after activities, although there was a general driving prohibition in effect.

A moveable roof created by architects Ingrid and Jörg Mayr was erected in 1987.In 2009, the casemates were reconstructed once more.The stage was shifted from west to east and shrunk.

Bell Tower

Archduke Charles II ordered the construction of the 34-meter-high octagonal bell tower in 1588.Inside is Styria’s third biggest bell, the “Liesl” (by Elisabeth), which was cast in Graz in 1587 by Martin “Mert” Hilger (1538-1601).It is 197 cm in diameter and weighs 4633 kg.Every day at 7 a.m., 12 p.m., and 7 p.m., the bell is rung 101 times.It is tuned to G#0, the primary strike.

The bell is supposed to have been cast from 101 rescued Turkish cannonballs, which explains the tradition.This myth is probably not true, because the “Liesl” is made of bronze, like other bells, while cannonballs are not.In any event, the bells were cast using material from the arsenal. The bell tower was saved from destruction by the French in 1809 owing to the residents of Graz’s assistance.The Bass Fiddle dungeon is located beneath the bell tower.

The Schloßbergmuseum first opened its doors on September 21, 1921, in a tiny room on the second floor that remained in use until the 1990s.

The Thomas Chapel

Until 1810, the castle chapel dedicated to the Apostle Thomas stood close to the bell tower.It was a Romanesque rotunda that was most likely constructed in the 12th century.The French saved the structure from the bombings, but they stripped it of its copper roof.The chapel fell into ruin as a result of weather damage and was finally largely dismantled.Only the foundations remain visible now, and they may be seen from a steel walkway close to the bell tower.The imperial palace chapel at Goslar is closely tied to St. Thomas.The Romanesque lions from the chapel entry are housed in the Hatzendorf State Vocational School, with replicas housed in the Joanneum State Museum.Parts of the frescoes were also moved to a castle (residents “helped themselves”).

Cannon Hut

The gun house, like the rest of the castle, was erected in 1544 per Domenico dell’Allio’s plans.Originally built for defense, it eventually functioned as a state jail and a fire detection site.It, along with the rest of the infrastructure, was destroyed by the French.It was reconstructed in 1978/79 with funding from the Styrian Chamber of Commerce to commemorate Graz’s 850th anniversary.The “Four Evangelists,” four guns stationed in the cannon hut to alert the people of enemy advances and fires, were stationed there until 1797.These were captured as plunder by the French in 1809.Instead, two smaller guns and two bigger cannons made in Paris are on show today.An alarm bell (about 1796) sounds in the belfry.From 1981/82 through 2012, the Graz Garrison Museum was housed at the Stallbastei building.The new Schloßbergmuseum has been housed in the rooms of the Kanonenbastei from September 2020.

Schlossberg Museum

A Graz woman died and left a considerable quantity of money to the city of Graz to beautify the Schloßberg.The city has launched a competition to build (or rebuild) the Schloßbergmuseum.The architects Erjavec, Gumhalter, Reschreiter, and Ries’ studio WG3 won the competition, the contract for planning and construction, and the Styrian Architecture Prize in June 2021.

During the Covid pandemic lockdowns, the outdoor section with adventure stations and the observation balcony – all free of charge – was occasionally open around the clock.Instead of the souvenir kiosk, a welcome structure with restrooms was constructed by 2020.

The Stable Bastion

The huge bastion, with retaining walls over 20 meters high and up to six meters thick, was built in 1544 to replace an outbuilding of the medieval castle that existed on the same location.It was named for the stables that existed atop it.The south side’s wooden door panels are from the nineteenth century.Bonaventura Hödl created the superimposed “Egyptian Gate” in 1820, and the pergola circa 1900. The lone remaining fortress watchtower, the Luntenturm, is located in the bastion’s eastern corner.A little commemorative inscription on the poet Rudolf Hans Bartsch’s urn in the brick wall of the stable bastion facing the city informs us of this.The new Schloßbergmuseum, situated in the old garrison museum and enlarged to incorporate the stable bastion, opened on September 12, 2020.The facilities’ refurbishment and design cost around 2.8 million euros.

The Chinese Pavilion and Bishop’s Chair

The Chinese Pavilion was constructed in 1890 to replace an earlier Romanesque grape arbor. The bishop’s chair is a stone seat with worn characters and Gothic blind tracery on the back.It is a discovery from the castle’s late Gothic phase on the Schloßberg.According to folklore, Bishop Count Nádasdy died here in 1796 while recuperating after being liberated from the prisons on Castle Hill after 40 years of incarceration.

The Turk’s Fountain

In 1554-1558, this “deep well” was excavated 94 meters down to the Mur’s groundwater in order to provide the stronghold with enough water even during a protracted siege.Domenico dell’Allio, an Italian master builder, designed the plan.Because supposedly kidnapped Turks were involved in its excavation, the fountain only gained its current name in the nineteenth century.They were, in fact, martolos from the Windisch frontier.There was an open hall above the well until 1934, with a pumping station, a cable winch, and two enormous wooden buckets.

The shaft was lighted down to the bottom with low-hanging lamps about 2005/2010, and a grating offers a view down to the bottom and the coins laying on a wall step.

The Starcke Cottage

Dionisio Tadei, the castle constructor, constructed a powder tower at the foot of the stable bastion in 1575, which was demolished by the French in 1809.On the ruins, Bonaventura Hödl erected a winegrower’s house with a neo-Gothic crab tower in 1820 and cultivated wine on the terraces below.Gustav Starcke (1848-1921), a Dresden court actor, had resided in the mansion since the turn of the century and devoted numerous poems to the Schloßberg.Today, the structure houses a restaurant with a terrace with views over western Graz.

The clock tower

Graz’s clock tower is a landmark and one of the city’s oldest structures.The tower was first mentioned in 1265 and has three bells: the hour bell (the oldest bell in Graz, 1382), the poor sinner bell (about 1450), and the fire bell (1645).

The Civic Bastion

The bastion, which is still in fine shape today, was constructed in 1551/1552 by the Italian master builder Domenico dell’Allio but was not finished until 1556.It gained its name from the fact that, like the clock tower, it had to be guarded by Graz people during times of war, while the remainder of the castle was under the control of the sovereign.It was introduced to the public in 1930 and is now the most flower-filled section of the Schloßberg.

The Civic Bastion

The Cerrini Castle

In 1809, Karl Freiherr von Cerrini (1777-1840) valiantly defended the vulnerable Bürgerbastei against French forces.In 1820, in appreciation for his contributions, he was granted permission to build a residence in the breach beneath the clock tower, which had been opened by the French following the peace treaty on the bastion’s southeast corner.The city of Graz refurbished the home between 1995 and 1997.Today, as the International House of Authors Graz, it is committed to cross-cultural interactions and provides three flats (each for one year in the title: Graz City Writer, Writer in Exile, Short Grants).

The Herbersteingarten

Wine has long been grown on the Schloßberg’s southern slope.The Herberstein line of counts made a significant contribution to its development by laying out a rough road from their residence in Sackstrasse to the vineyard named after them on the mountain.The Herbersteingarten was made accessible from the “Kriegssteig” in 1930, and thus the “Hanging Gardens of Graz” were made public.The tiered structure with its Mediterranean flora is one of the most stunning examples of interwar garden design.

War Climb and Rock Climb

A zigzag route of 260 steps leads from Schloßbergplatz up the rocky hill to the clock tower.From 1914 until 1918, Austrian pioneers and Russian captives worked together to build the path, which earned it the moniker “Russensteig.”However, the moniker “War Climb” is more well-known since the stairs were set up during World War I.

The peace movement and the inner city district council unanimously proposed renaming the Kriegssteig to Friedenssteig in 1984 and 2003, respectively, but the proposal was formally rejected.The KP last applied to the local council for this name change in 2008.The Kriegssteig is shown on the official city map, although the Friedenssteig is equally popular.

Since 2007, the Graz Schlossberglauf has gone across it and the Herbersteingarten terrace over 421 steps and 80 meters to the clock tower.The steep asphalted parts of the climbs are officially closed at many gates for the winter.

As early as 1913, there was access to the mountain’s rugged west face via Sackstrasse 32 (protected by a rope). This route running northwards halfway up the western cliffs was finished in extended form as the “Jubiläums-Felsensteig” (today officially Felsensteig for short) in the years 1924-1928 (on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the city of Graz).Pioneers, among others, completed the tough building work for the 280-meter-long structure.

There are rumours of intentions to build a via ferrata on the rock a few meters north of the Kriegssteig before the city council elections in 2021.

Schloßbergauffahrt

The rise from The Schloßberg/Karmeliterplatz is over 10% steep on average, has several gas street lamps up to the clock tower, is closed to bicycles and motor vehicles with the exception of deliveries and employees on the mountain, and has been closed since around 2005 and is monitored by a camera (near the Schloßberg tunnel).

Mountain sprints were conducted on the Schloßberg more than 50 years ago and up until around 26 years ago; in 2005, a race began in pairs with the participation of several bicycle messengers.

The inaugural RV Schlossbergman race was held on June 3, 2015, and was organized by extreme cyclists Jacob Zurl, Robert Hoiss, and Eduard Hamedl.The mountain individual time trial in several age and performance classes runs over 800 meters with three paved sections and 95 meters in altitude at an average of around 12% and a maximum of 21% incline from the middle of Karmeliterplatz past the clock tower (and thus almost to the Schloßberg plateau).Over 200 starts are launched at 30 second intervals.It is paired with the Glocknerman’s prologue.

Monuments

The Schloßberg is home to various monuments, including the Major Hackher Monument (Hackher Lion).The bronze lion sculpture honors Major Franz Hackher, who defended the Schloßberg against the incoming French (3000 men) in 1809 with “a handful of soldiers” (17 officers and 896 soldiers).Due to the lack of a portrait of Major Hackher, a lion was constructed in his honor.Otto Jarl developed the original in 1909, but it was melted down during WWII in 1943.Wilhelm Gösser commissioned the city of Graz to create a freely perceived duplicate in 1965.

Another memorial honors the k.u.k. Infantry Regiment No. 27.The memorial, built of artificial stone, was created to commemorate the regiment’s 250th anniversary and was ceremoniously inaugurated on July 3, 1932 by Governor Anton Rintelen.It is a work by Wilhelm Gösser that portrays a larger-than-life naked image of a young man carrying a bag of maize in one hand and a sword in the other. The regimental motto Fearless and Faithful is engraved on the pedestal.

“Carinthian defense” monument.A listed memorial stone constructed in 1980 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Carinthian referendum on the proposal of Josef Lauritsch, then head of the Carinthian Landsmannschaft in Graz.

Castle on the Grazer Schloßberg

The castle on the Grazer Schloßberg was one of Styria’s most prominent defences and Graz’s major stronghold.It was erected atop the Grazer Schloßberg and served as the sovereign’s throne when he was in Graz, as well as his escape in the case of an invasion.The hilltop castle’s history stretches back to the 12th century.The structure was destroyed by the French in the year 1809/10.Only the bell tower and the clock tower remain now.

The castle was held by the sovereign and controlled by a burgrave until the 19th century.The year 1136 is recorded as the first burgrave.He was born into a free family in the Trofaiach district.In 1167, his son or grandson succeeded him as burgrave.He was no longer a freelancer, though, but a sovereign ministry.There were two burgraves from distinct families in 1189.Small knight families functioned as burgraves beginning in 1229.Count Amput sat at the castle under Hungarian control.

The castle has been administered by regional governors from the time of Otakar II Pemysl.Burgraves were not reliant on the regional governor only during the reign of Emperor Frederick III and the Hungarian occupation from 1480 to 1490.The dependent on the provincial governor was abolished in 1583, and Hans Fernberger was chosen as the first castle governor.His successors and he were reliant on the sovereign government.In addition to the castle captain’s office, the burgrave’s office existed until 1650, when it was disbanded for financial concerns.

Graz Castle Mountain Railway

The Grazer Schloßbergbahn is a funicular that has been operating since 1894 up the Grazer Schloßberg.Graz Linien operates the railway.

A “Schlossberg train” is documented in historical documents as early as 1528, which, like the trains described later, was used primarily to convey items up the mountain.

The Schloßbergbahn (people’s tramway) was built between August 1893 and October 1894 under the supervision of engineer Ludwig Philipp Schmidt (previously managing director of Trieste’s horse tramway) and opened on November 25, 1894. The Graz Tramway Company ( GTG) took over the management of the railway with a contract dated November 16, 1899.

The railway climbs the Schloßberg from Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai on the west side over 212 meters, overcoming a height difference of 108.95 meters and a gradient of 599 per thousand.The path depicts a little right bend.The valley station is located on the ground floor of a residential structure, while the mountain station is located within the fortress wall, which has been penetrated by a tunnel portal.The first Schloßberg restaurant was established alongside the mountain station, with the train.

Originally, the meter-gauge railway was accompanied between the rails by a Riggenbach rack system, in which the cars’ braking gear engaged.The center rail was shared by the two rail lines, with the exception of the siding.

The first two vehicles, used from 1894 until 1960, had 16 seats and 16 standing spaces and weighed 5.6 tons.The railway was powered by a stationary steam engine of 40 hp (54.38 kW) until September 3, 1899, but the steam was generated in the valley and piped to the machine on the mountain.The changeover to electric propulsion occurred on April 12, 1900.Water pumps and ventilation devices were powered by GTG energy to feed the Schloßberg restaurant.

From October 3, 1960 until June 9, 1961, the “second Schloßbergbahn” was converted. The Riggenbach racks were removed, the tracks were modified to a single-track, two-rail system with a siding in the middle, and new cars were acquired.

Since then, the railway’s technological heart has been an Abt switch with no moving parts.When viewed from above, a wagon features two wheel flanges on each of its left wheels, which direct the wagon to the left at the siding via a positive fit.The second automobile on the right.

The second automobile generation was phased out after 43 years on February 29th, 2004. On March 6, 2004, a truck-mounted crane lifted the ancient cars over the five-story valley station structure in a stunning motion.

During the summer of 2004, the railway system was brought up to the most recent state of the art in order to meet the needs of a contemporary mode of transportation.The new carriages, developed by Graz AG Verkehrsbetriebe in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences for Industrial Design and produced by Carvatech, were hoisted onto the track on June 12, 2004.

On August 1, 2004, operations restarted, and on September 12, a family celebration was held in the presence of key municipal officials to commemorate the formal opening of the new Schloßbergbahn.

The automobile got the silver Joseph Binder Award.

The route, which rose over 60%, was significantly restored in 2022.Water drainage, rail seat, guide rollers for both rope strands, and accessibility are all safety concerns.

The carriages were installed on the track in 2004, and the railway conversion cost 2.5 million euros.The design was chosen as the winner of a competition held by the FH Joanneum to remodel the track.The circular panoramic glass canopy is the focal point, which “is perceived by the passenger as a frame on the inside and [when viewed] from the city can be seen as a distinctive feature of the railway.”

Because of the steepness of the road, the passenger compartment within the carriage is divided into three height levels, separated only by parapets.The panoramic glass roof provides a spectacular view from the western slope of the Schlossberg to the west of Graz during the ascent to the mountain station.

The new automobiles, unlike the previous ones, only have one driver’s cab on the uphill front.A camera is put in the front on the downhill side to guarantee that the driver has an overview even when traveling downhill, and the picture is sent to a monitor in the driver’s cab.

A automobile from the first generation is in the Technisches Museum Wien’s collection, although it is not currently on exhibit (2021).Both Generation 2 automobiles are on exhibit.Car 1 is located in the Shopping City Seiersberg, while Car 2 is located in the Tramway Museum Graz.

Graz Fairy Tale Railway

The Grazer Märchenbahn is a narrow-gauge railway with a 600 mm gauge that runs through the tunnel of the Grazer Schloßberg and departs from the lower level of the Schloßberglift at Schloßbergplatz.

During WWII, the tunnels of the Graz Schloßberg, which had been built since 1937, provided as a safe haven from air strikes for 40,000 people beginning in 1943.The city’s people were safe because to the 6.3 km long tunnel system with 20 entrances.

The air-raid shelters were initially not utilized after the war until 1968, when the first fairy tale cave train was put up in a portion of the tunnel system, accessible via an entrance in Wickenburggasse.The Fairy Tale Grotto Railway was out of service for four years after operations terminated 10 years later.

In 1982, the railway was reactivated.The drivable road was enlarged in 1984, and the entry was relocated to Schloßbergplatz.The private mining and industrial railway museum, which has been keeping rail carriages in the tunnels since 1984 but is not yet available to the public, helped fund the essential building work.The train was converted to electricity, and the tunnel walls were reinforced using shotcrete.

There were several plastic dolls illustrating 34 fairy stories, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in the Schloßberg tunnels at the time.The voyage took roughly 20 to 25 minutes on the 2 kilometer long road with a 500 mm gauge at the time.Direct current electric locomotives, such as the Heinz 1 locomotive, each with 10 carriages built in 1968, hauled across eight points at a speed of 4 km/h.A fairytale train may carry up to 20 people.

During the building of the Schloßberg lift and the Dom im Berg event site in 1997, the worn tracks were entirely replaced, altering the gauge from 500 to 600 mm.The cable car reopened in 1999, but it was formally stopped in 2000 due to increased safety requirements following the fire on the Kaprun glacier cable car, and it was taken over by the city of Graz.The railway reopened at the end of 2011 after major fire prevention measures.

The fairy tale grotto train was renovated from early 2012 until November 2014. The necessary rehabilitation of the tunnel and railway was considerably more complicated than anticipated, owing to changes in legal regulations as well.The refurbishment cost 1.6 million euros, accounting for two-thirds of the total.The material was redesigned by the Graz children’s museum FRida & freD.It reopened on November 14, 2014, under the new name Graz Fairy Tale Railway.

Instead than just displaying the fairy tale content with puppets as in the past, the modern design of the Graz Fairy Tale Railway is intended to provide children as young as four and adults an equally stunning experience.

The fairytale setting was meticulously produced, with no explicit depiction of the characters or traditional substance. The collage of light and darkness, driving and stopping, as well as remarks and fairy tale lines that encourage interaction, allow for the most various connections in the coolness of the dark tunnel and provide as much flexibility as possible to the passengers’ imaginations.

Mining and Works Railway Museum in Graz

The Montan- und Werksbahnmuseum Graz (MWM) is a railway museum in the tunnels of the Grazer Schloßberg that is now closed to the public, featuring an underground narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of 600 mm.

The Montan- und Werksbahnmuseum Graz’s several-kilometer-long narrow-gauge railway line runs through the tunnels of the Grazer Schloßberg from the entrance, which is currently closed to the public, at the junction of the Weldenstraße from the Wickenburggasse to the end of the Grazer Märchenbahn.This has two tracks in parts and is partially electrified by a middle conductor or an overhead wire.Rail cars gathered by the Graz Mining and Works Railway Museum Association have been running on part of the line since 1984.In the darkness of the Schloßberg tunnel, there are more than 50 largely working and partly uncommon and so historically interesting locomotives and over 200 vehicles, as well as mining gear, switch boxes, antique telephones, and information signs.

Due to fire limitations implemented following the devastating fire on the Kaprun glacier cable car on November 11, 2000, the Montanmuseum is not yet available to the public.

The air-raid shelters were no longer utilized after the war until 1968, when the first fairytale grotto railway was built in a portion of the tunnel system accessible by Wickenburggasse.Following a short closure, a gauge change from 500 to 600 mm gauge, and the installation of a new display idea, the railway was ceremonially reopened on November 14, 2014 under the new name Graz Fairy Tale Railway.