gräts, city (1991 pop. 237,810), capital of Styria prov., SE Austria, on the Mur River. The second largest city in Austria, it is an industrial, rail, and cultural center. Manufactures include iron and steel, precision and optical instruments, machinery, paper, textiles, and chemicals. Probably founded in the 12th cent., Graz is built around the Schlossberg, a mountain peak, on which are the ruins of a 15th-century fortress and the famous Uhrturm [clock tower]. The city has a 15th-century Gothic cathedral; several medieval churches (13th–15th cent.); and a twin-naved Gothic parish church that contains Tintoretto's Assumption of the Virgin. The Landhaus [provincial parliament] dates from the 16th cent. The Johanneum museum (founded 1811) is one of the finest provincial museums in Austria. The astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) taught at the state university in Graz (founded in the 16th cent.). The new university (built 1890–95) is noted for medical studies. Emperor Ferdinand II is buried in Graz.

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