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Travel essentials
Why go now?
Austria’s second-largest city is a heady mish-mash of the beautifully old and the daringly new.
Earlier this year, it was anointed a “Unesco City OfDesign” – an accolade that has so far been handed to just two other European cities (Berlin andSt-Etienne), and is only awarded to cities that can boast established design and creative industries.
Graz’s forward-thinking is visible in a small clutch of dramatic structures – notably theKunsthaus (1) art gallery – that, despite their modernity, complement the traditional lines of its Unesco-listed medieval centre. And next month, the Steirischer Herbst festival (steirischerherbst.at) celebrates contemporary arts (film, dance, music, theatre, architecture) from 23 September to 16 October.
February Amid violent protests, politicians pass
