The next stop on our tour of Graz is Hauptplatz (Main Square). But to get there, we need to descend from Schlossberg to Schlossbergplatz, and walk along Sackstrasse. Sackstrasse is the oldest street in Graz, existing since early 1100s. Back then it was connecting Hauptplatz with the city gates, which was blocking the narrow slip of land between Schlossberg and the river Mur – the only convenient way of travel on this side of the river. At that time, the street was actually called just Sack, since it was a dead-end alley (as in “a sack”), cut off by the city gates. Funny enough, there were several “sacks” over time. The city grew, and after Sackstrasse has extended beyond the first city gates, they built the second gates, and the new section of the street became a new sack. And then there was yet another, third sack. So they really should’ve called this street Säckestrasse (“Sacks Street). Singular, or plural, though, Sack is still too crude a name for one of Graz’s most fashionable streets.
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View of Schlossbergplatz from Schlossbergsteig (Schlossberg Climb), with Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Church of Trinity) front and centre. The Baroque building next to the church is Palais Attems, sometimes called “the most important aristocratic palace in Styria”. That′s Sackstrasse itself. Note the open, protruding gallery on the roof of a building to the right. We will get there at one point.The building with the fancy gables across the top of the picture is Kastner & Öhler department store, the flagship of the largest Austrian department-store chain, based in Graz. After surveying the street from above, we are now on the ground, next to Dreifaltigkeitskirche and Palais Attems. By the way, now the church is white again, as it was originally. We saw that in the previous gallery about Schlossberg. These pictures here were taken in 2017, right before the church restoration in 2018. Palais Attems was built in 1716 for Count Ignaz Maria von Attems, the head of the Graz branch of a noble family from Friuli in Italy. After the palace was ransacked during WWII, the last private owner, Count Ignaz Maria V, sold the palace to the Styrian government and moved to Vienna. [I love that swirly feature on the church′s gable, under the statue].Dreifaltigkeitskirche is one of those "Pilaster churches", which are decorated by fake columns (pilasters), inside and outside, made look like they are real columns supporting the building. They are not, and they don′t. The Trinity Church itself is a fine example of so-called "Habsburg Baroque", a fusion of classic Italian Baroque with South German and Austrian elements. The gable of the church is decorated with the figures of God the Father and Jesus Christ, and the white dove of the Holy Spirit above them. Figures, since it′s the Trinity Church.A peek from Schlossbergplatz, between Palais Attems and Dreifaltigkeitskirche, onto the spire of Barmherzigenkirche, Church of Mercy, on the other bank of the Mur. Sackstrasse meeting Schlossbergplatz. The Austrian double-headed eagle above a portico of a former post-office on Sackstrasse (that′s why it bears imperial regalia). Note Virgin Mary with baby Jesus in the wall niche. You will see a lot of statues and bas-reliefs like that all over the city. The Austrians are devoted Catholics. [This collage is made of pictures taken in 1995 and 2017].The very end (or the beginning for us, since we are starting from here) of Sackstrasse, where those third gates I talked about earlier, stood until 1835. The plaque is a decoration on the walls of Schlossberghotel.A little alley off Sackstrasse.This is the other end of Sackstrasse, at Hauptplatz. Most of the buildings in this row were built in 1500s. ⇨ ⇨ Like these three with angular pediments. Another testament to the designation of Sackstrasse as the oldest street in Graz. The blue house in the centre at one point was apparently a guesthouse, owned by one Othmar König. The green house next to it was, and still is, a bakery. The brown mural on the walls of the house is actually a very significant artifact - a late Gothic facade painting. An archway leading to a restaurant, obviously serving Gösser - one of the most ubiquitous beers in Austria, brewed in the Styrian city of Leoben.Gösser, anyone?The influx (or efflux, depending on where you stand) of Sackstrasse into (or out of) Hauptplatz. The building on the right, with the glass awnings, is the already-mentioned Kastner & Öhler department store, the first department store in Austro-Hungarian Empire. I suggest you enter, go to the top floor, walk right through the restaurant (you can do that), and out onto the glass observation platform above the street that I pointed out to you earlier. If you get lost, ask for Aussicht - "outlook′ in German.This is the reason for this little detour - a magnificent view of Schlossberg in front of you, Sackstrasse below, Hauptplatz to the right, with a great deal of the Oldtown in between.Der Uhrturm, with which we are well-acquainted now, with Stiegenkirche to the right. Stiegenkirche is the oldest parish church in Graz, first mentioned in the documents in 1343. The name means "The Church on the Stairs", since it sits on the Schlossberg slope, and to get to it, you have to climb a set of stairs literally built into the row houses of the street below. The green cupolas right ahead are die Domkirche (the Cathedral), and Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II.By the way, the sky is not photoshop. That′s what it looked like on that day, September 10th, 2022.Sackstrasse entering (or, rather, coming out of) Hauptplatz.Hauptplatz with das Rathaus (the City Hall).Das Rathaus up close. A cute old house right under the observation platform.When leaving the observation platform and walking through the department store again, take a look at the wall decorations. ⇨⇨ I find them fascinating. Back on the street, check out some of the elaborate shop signs. Sackstrasse, one of Graz′s main shopping thoroughfares, is full of them. And the last stop on our walk along Sackstrasse is Palais-Hotel "Erzherzog Johann" (Palace-hotel "Archduke Johann", to be fully translated into English). An inn existed on this spot since 1596, but I doubt it was as fancy as this 4-star hotel.Note the sign "Erzherzog Johann" in this night shot of Sackstrasse and the City Hall from 1995. Press ESC to exit
