Graz is the capital city of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna.

As

of 1 January 2019, it had a population of 328,276 (292,269 of whom had principal-

residence status). In 2015, the population of the Graz larger urban zone (LUZ) stood

at 633,168, based on principal-residence status. Graz has a long tradition as a seat of

higher education. It has four colleges and four universities with more than 60,000

students. Its historic centre (Altstadt) is one of the best-preserved city centres in

Central Europe. For centuries, Graz was more important to Slovenes and Croats,

both politically and culturally, than the capitals of Ljubljana, Slovenia and Zagreb, 

Croatia; it remains influential to this day. In 1999, the city's historic centre was

added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and in 2010 the designation was

expanded to include Eggenberg Palace (German: Schloss Eggenberg) on the

western edge of the city. Graz was designated the Cultural Capital of Europe in

2003 and became a City of Culinary Delights in 2008.