Graz Graz Graz () is the capital of Styria and the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. On 1 January 2018, it had a population of 325,021 (of which 289,440 had principal residence status). In 2015, the population of the Graz larger urban zone who had principal residence status stood at 633,168. Graz has a long tradition as seat of universities: its six universities have almost 60,000 students. Its historic centre is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe. For centuries, Graz () was more important to Slovenes, both politically and culturally, than the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, and
Ice nativity scene (Graz) A local politician of the Green Party cynically noted: "Due to global warming, Advent will become ever milder. This raises the question of whether the city of Graz should continue to invest more than 40,000 € in a pool of water." Suggestions to cancel the project have been turned down by the tourist association who argued that the ice nativity scene rendered the economically important Graz Advent an "unmistakable" event. The "Tiroler Tageszeitung" made tongue-in-cheek claims about yearly bets of Graz citizens on the ice nativity scene’s endurance. A planned wood roof to protect the artwork from rain was vetoed