Graz. This beautiful city is one more on the list of the UNESCO world heritage sites. A world heritage site is generally defined as “ a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) as having cultural,[1] historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties. The sites are judged important to the collective interests of humanity.”
To be selected, a World Heritage site must be an already classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special cultural or physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, mountain, or wilderness area). It may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.
Graz qualifies in most respects. This second largest city in Austria has a population of around 300,000 of which about 60,000 are university students and the tradition of universities goes back a long way.
Apart from the usual pubs and other fun places students look for some of the sites one must visit while staying in Graz are the clock tower, Kunsthaus for for its architecture, Island in the Mur, Eggenberg Palace and the cathedral. The historic centre of the city is one of the best preserved in Europe and due to several of the factors Graz was named European Cultural Capital in the year 2003.
The city has a fair number of foreigners living there and it’s easy enough for students to find acquaintances and friends. The city has three public universities that offer a host of courses and it is recommended that you visit the website of each one of them to find what may be best suited for you.
University of Graz
Medical University of Graz
Graz University of Technology
As previously mentioned in the articles linked to Salzburg and Vienna the expense towards the fees is less than US$ 500 per semester. And similar to these two cities, fluency in German is a must if you wish to study in the German language or you must have a working knowledge of German with an excellent command over English if you decide to study in the English language in which case you will be required to pass the C1 or equivalent examination before you are selected.
Cost of living
According to the index the cost of living for a single person, exclusive of accommodation comes to around 950 $. However in the opinion of the writer one can live quite respectably for around 1000 $, inclusive of shared accommodation.
A city surely worth consider
Photo: Shutterstock
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