Lake Balaton
The train from Hungary arrived in Graz at noon. The night before leaving the Lake Balaton, I made a reservation at Comfort Appartementhaus Blümel which is between the railway station and the old town. At the station, I picked up a city map and a booklet with Graz attractions. I had no specific plans on what to see in Graz and played it by ear.
After dropping off my backpack at the hotel, I headed towards the city center. A fortress high on the hill attracted my attention and I climbed to it. That fortress called the Schlossberg (Castle Hill) dates back to at least the 10th century. It was never conquered.
After walking around the fortress I simply wandered in the old city. Below is a brief account of what I saw.
The following text is copied from the description of the monument:
In May 1809 Major Franz Hacker zu Hart received orders to defend the Schlossberg against Napoleon’s troops. Together with 17 officers and 896 soldiers he held the fortress against the mighty foe. The French totaled 3,000 men and launched 8 unsuccessful attacks. Only after an armistice had been arranged Hacker withdrew with his men. Thus, the “Hacker Lion”, a monument in honor of this heroic defender was erected in 1909.
Next morning I had a couple more hours to spend in Graz that I liked very much. The noon train was taking me to Salzburg, my last stop on this trip.