History
Let's begin with the history of the Schloßberg. In the 12th century, a castle was built on the Schloßberg, which also gave the city of Graz its name. A derivation of "gradec" – the Slovenian word for small castle. Since the castle was never conquered, it is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the strongest fortress of all time. Not even Napoleon managed to capture the castle in the 19th century. Only when he blackmailed Graz into destroying Vienna by occupying Vienna in 1809 did the city of Graz surrender. With the exception of the bell tower and the clock tower, which were redeemed by the people of Graz, the castle was largely demolished and blown up, a process known as razing. Thirty years later, Ludwig Freiherr von Weldenman created walking paths and a romantic garden on the Schloßberg.
During World War II, a more than 6-kilometer-long tunnel system was built in the Schloßberg, which served as a military headquarters and air-raid shelter for up to 40,000 people. Some of these tunnels are still in use today; they include the Schloßberg lift, the fairytale train, the Schloßberg slide, the "Dom im Berg" event hall, and a connecting path between Schloßbergplatz and Karmeliterplatz. Since 1999, Graz's Schloßberg, along with the historic old town of Graz, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.