As of 1 January , Graz had a population of , , of whom had principal-residence status. Combined, the city is home to more than 60, students. Some archaeological finds point to the erection of a small castle by Alpine Slavic people, which over time became a heavily defended fortification. The name thus follows the common South Slavic pattern for naming settlements as grad.
The German name 'Graz' first appears in records in Related to the Czech Hradec e. Graz is situated on both sides of the river Mur in southeast Austria. It is about km 93 mi southwest of Vienna Wien. The nearest larger urban centre is Maribor Marburg in Slovenia, which is about 50 km 31 mi to the south.
Graz is the capital of Styria and the largest city in the federal state, a green and heavily forested region on the eastern edge of the Alps. It is located in the Graz Basin and surrounded by mountains and hills to the north, east and west. The city centre sits at an elevation of m 1, ft , the highest point is Plabutsch mountain with m 2, ft at the western border. Graz is divided into 17 municipal districts Stadtbezirke : [10]. The oldest settlement on the ground of the modern city of Graz dates back to the Copper Age.
However, no historical continuity exists of a settlement before the Middle Ages. The city was originally called "Bayrischgraz" or "Bavarian Graz" i. German Graz by the German founders to distinguish it from the elder "Windischgraz" or "Slovenian Graz". Bavarian Graz however soon eclipsed its Slovenian counterpart and henceforth Graz always referred to the German one. During the 12th century, dukes under Babenberg rule made the town into an important commercial center.
Later, Graz came under the rule of the Habsburgs and, in , gained special privileges from King Rudolph I. In the 14th century, Graz became the city of residence of the Inner Austrian line of the Habsburgs. The royalty lived in the Schlossberg castle and from there ruled Styria , Carinthia , most of today's Slovenia, and parts of Italy Carniola , Gorizia and Gradisca , Trieste.
