Location: Graz
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The 10 Best Museums in Graz, Styria
A bevy of universities give Austria's second-largest city its lively pace. Baroque palaces are a pleasant contrast with 16th-century courtyards and provocative modern buildings. The Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, teems with fine architecture, including the Burg castle complex, with its Gothic double staircase, and the graceful Uhrturm clock tower. A funicular takes visitors up the dramatic bluff. The River Mur dashes through the city, and thermal springs dot the surrounding countryside.
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1. Neue Galerie Graz
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Fine art from the 19th century to the present day, including works by Friedrich Amerling, Egon Schiele, Shirin Neshat, and a focus on Gunter Brus in the BRUSEUM.
2. Landeszeughaus
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 378 reviews
The world's largest preserved historical armoury displays some 32,000 objects from the 15th to 18th century.
Reviewed By Peaplant - Galway, Ireland
We came in winter when access is by guided tour only. Luckily we happened to be there just in time for one. It was fantastic. Photos can't do the armoury justice. There is so much to be said about being there amounts the pieces, the smells of oils used to clean them. Amazing. Our guide was fantastic and very patient as we all tried on select samples of chain mail and wielded some replica swords. A must for anyone visiting Graz.
3. Volkskundemuseum Graz
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
Folk Life Museum: “Everyday objects” tell us about social life, about human fates and needs through the ages.
4. Schloss Eggenberg
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 695 reviews
The unique architecture of Schloss Eggenberg, the most important great house in Styria, is a complex symbolic representation of the universe. At the same time, with its impressive combination of Baroque interiors (magnificent state rooms), magical gardens and park, and priceless collections of the Universalmuseum Joanneum (Alte Galerie with its old masters paintings, Archaeology Museum and Coin Cabinet), Eggenberg contains a fascinatingly varied panorama of Styrian culture over the centuries. UNESCO World Heritage Site! Please note: dogs are not allowed in the park to protect our peacocks.
Reviewed By YairBarZohar - Qiryat Ata, Israel
Built in the 17th century, this castle is one of the most important cultural properties in Austria. UNESCO recognized this castle, together with the Old City, as a World Heritage Site. You can wander through the vast and beautiful gardens surrounding the castle, as well as admire the wonderful architecture, which combines styles of baroque and rococo. To enter the castle rooms you will need to join a guided tour, which runs from Tuesday to Sunday every hour between 10:00 and 16:00. The admission fee is reasonable. It is recommended to purchase the card in advance through the website of the castle. Opening hours of the castle: The visit to the castle is possible from April to October from Tuesday to Sunday from 10: 00-17: 00 as part of a guided tour only. The gardens are open daily, from April to October from 8:00 to 19:00, from November to March from 8:00 to 17:00. How long should I visit? About two hours.
5. MuWa -- Museum of Perception ( Museum der Wahrnehmung)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24 reviews
The museum is about the fallibility of all human perception.
6. Universalmuseum Joanneum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 68 reviews
The Joanneumsviertel houses the Neue Galerie Graz, Natural History Museum and the Steiermärkische Landesbibliothek.
7. FRida & freD - Das Grazer Kindermuseum
8. Archaeology Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
Archaelogical gems from Styria such as the “Cult Wagon of Strettweg” and the “Mask of Kleinklein” as well as objects from Classical Antiquity and Egypt.
9. GrazMuseum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 32 reviews
Reviewed By CarolDM1900 - Montpelier, United States
I wish we'd stopped here before heading to the Schlossberg. We'd have understood more about the fraught history of that place. We did learn a lot afterwards, however, by wandering through this splendid museum. There is something here for everyone, from the casual visitor seeking "impressions" to the serious history buff demanding "knowledge." The exhibitions were thoughtfully done to create interesting pathways to understanding about the complex past of this fine old city. The artifacts on display are diverse -- everything from a very detailed model of the fortress as it appeared before 1809 when Napoleon ordered its destruction, to the great variety of homely objects giving good insights into everyday life, to the very well-developed thematic presentations on sometimes controversial topics, with material objects that breathe life into them. As one example of the latter, we were fascinated by the grotesque "mask of shame" that illustrated one of the unsavory aspects of the theme "crime and punishment." As the interpretive sign explained, this crude metal face mask enforced social norms through public humiliation. "Defamatory offenses," like slander, were punished in this way. And there were worse punishments, all of them richly detailed here. I found it laudable that the museum treated so many controversial subjects in an objective, unvarnished, self-critical way, dealing with things as unsettling as anti-semitism, misogyny, religious intolerance, and political and economic oppression. How refreshing for a city museum to reveal the faults as well as the merits of the culture and society that it explains and interprets for both visitors and residents. I also liked the comparative approach aimed at showing how and why Graz evolved in ways different from places like, say, Salzburg. This greatly enhanced understanding by putting the Graz into context with others places undergoing their own social, economic and political development, and in so doing it broadened perspectives beyond a single city. When I left here, I felt intellectually enriched. The main exhibition is organized into 12 "blocks," each chronologically identified as representing a period of years. There are treasures all about: wonderful old paintings and engravings that show what life was like hundreds of years ago in Graz's main square, with the great fortress looming above; and unique objects, including a massive ceremonial sword from the early middle ages, adorned with 14 silver buckles wrapped around blue velvet covering the hilt and the sheath, its blade engraved with the names of all the city administers. The "magisterial sword" was handed down to Graz's leaders, first the judges and then the mayors once that office was introduced. I say "handed down," but it's beyond me how any single person could have lifted such an object, which is also way longer than I am tall. This official symbol of jurisdiction, going back to the early middle ages, is simply spectacular. Bottom line: There is much to see at this museum, and one could easily spend several hours here. If your time or your interest is more limited, it is still worth your while to come here, to take from the experience what is valuable to you personally. I don't think you will be disappointed, and I know you will be better prepared to get the most out of your visit to Graz. Highly Recommended.
10. Natural History Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
Interactive insights into the history of the earth and variety of species in Styria, with objects from in-house collections (botany & mycology, geology and paleontology, mineralogy, zoology.
