Coming Out of the Shadows
January 2, 2003
The capital of Styria, nestled between gentle hills on the Mur River in southeastern Austria, has long been an insider tip. Since 1999, the old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage site thanks to its concentration of well-preserved gothic, renaissance, baroque and art nouveau buildings.
Now, the city of 250,000 – 60,000 of whom are students – is looking forward to attracting two million visitors as the European Capital of Culture.
The Greek actor and politician Melina Mercouri first conceived of the idea of the European Capital of Culture as a contribution to European integration in 1985. Since then the E.U. has awarded the title to numerous European cities for a one-year period. The cities themselves decide what to make of it.
Friendly alien on the Mur
On the right bank of the Mur, an unorthodox building shell is emerging as part of the festivities: the future Kunsthaus (art house), due to open in late autumn. London architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier have named the construction, a huge air bubble perched on concrete stilts, “Friendly Alien.” Graz’s citizens, meanwhile, have dubbed it the “blue blister.”
From January 9 to 12, Graz will inaugurate the year of culture with a street party, theater premieres and exhibition openings. The city council hopes that tourists will discover the city situated 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Vienna.
The New York architect and designer Vito Acconci will present his project for Graz, a shell-shaped artificial island built of glass and steel in the middle of the Mur. Two bridges link the island, which is meant to house a café, playground and amphitheater, to the mainland.
Besides calling on internationally-renowned stars from the art and architecture worlds, young artists were invited to redesign motorway ramps, the main train station and the airport. Many of the 100 projects were realized in cooperation with local initiatives. And to enhance Graz’s focus on marginal existences, the city will host the Homeless Street Soccer Championship in July.
World-famous in Austria
Graz is already known for its three festivals, which will complement the year of culture’s program: the Austrian film festival Diagonale, the music festival Styriarte and the avant-garde festival steirischer herbst (Styrian autumn). The city is hoping to attract tourists with the premieres of best-selling Swedish author Henning Mankell’s play “Butterfly Blues” and composer Beat Furrer’s opera "Begehren" (desire).
In the past, two or more cities shared the honor of being named European Capital of Culture in a given year. This year though, Graz is the only town to carry the title and the first Austrian city to hold the honor. The city, state and central governments are sharing the costs of the events, with additional support from the European Union.