Austria

You could be forgiven for thinking a friendly alien had landed on the right bank of the Mur. And to some... extent you'd be right: the Kunsthaus, which was opened in 2003, has an impressive, visionary architecture which is pretty much unique. Although opinions on the "blue wonder" are still divided, the Kunsthaus Graz is now accepted as the latest trademark of Graz. London star architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier used innovative lines to produce a complex place which is both a home for art and art in itself. There is a bluish shimmering shell which rises above the glass ground floor like a bubble. With a span of up to 60 metres, this structure covers two large exhibition areas with no supports. "Nozzles" - striking daylight openings - rise from its surface, which is essentially a skin of acrylic glass. In the upper storeys, there are bridges linking the 23 metre new building with what is known as the "Iron House", a protected cast iron construction which is the oldest of its kind in Central Europe and which was carefully and lovingly restored during the building of the Kunsthaus. Thanks to Max Neuhaus, there is an innovative clock on the building producing unusual sounds advising passers-by of the time ten minutes before every hour. Unique! more

Near the Karmeliterplatz is the Palais Saurau; there are many legends associated with the figure in the... gable. The Turk with the dagger is so well known that it is easy to overlook the beauty of the building itself; it is a huge building with a Renaissance portal and stone coats of arms. Pankraz von Windischgrätz had the impressive four-winged palace built in 1566 close to what were the city walls in those days. In 1630, the Count of Saurau took over the property and made it Baroque in the style of the time. He created splendid rooms and the fanlight above the gate, which is among the most beautiful examples of baroque wrought ironwork in Styria. But what about the Turk with the dagger peering through a hole in the gable of the roof at passers-by? There are lots of legends. One of them says that the Turks had taken Graz, except the fortress on the Schlossberg. While a Turkish pasha was having dinner what is now Palais Saurau, a cannonball shot from Schlossberg hit his plate containing his meal and catapulted it out of the window. Enraged, the Turks left Graz immediately. more

The Festival Hall complex, which takes in the former rooms of the royal stables, snuggles up idyllically... against the Mönchsberg. Both the small and the large festival halls were built by Clemens Holzmeister. The Old or Small Festival Hall was originally a winter riding school, which has turned into a spacious hall after several renovations and which became the "Mozart Hall" in 2006. The Large or New Festival Hall featuring a 132 ft (40 m) high stage house is built deep into the rock of the Mönchsberg. The auditorium with seating for more than 2,000 people is well-known for its excellent acoustics. Altogether, the three theaters of the Festival Halls seat 5,000 spectators at the famous Salzburger Festival, inaugurated in 1920 with a performance of Hofmannsthal's "Jedermann" directed by Max Reinhardt. Since then, prominent names such as Toscanini, Herbert von Karajan and Peter Stein have ensured the continued popularity of this important artistic and social event. more