Graz

What's so special about Graz, you ask? Today: capital of Styria and second largest city in Austria. In the past, it was the site of a small castle (gradec in Slavic) and later a Habsburg royal seat. Graz manages the balancing act between its yesterday and tomorrow better than almost any other city: its old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, with its main square surrounded by buildings steeped in history, the opera house, the town hall and the clock tower.

At the same time, Graz was named City of Design by UNESCO in 2011 - and the Murinsel, Kunsthaus or Zaha Hadid's Argos building are just a few examples of the futuristic touch that now characterises Graz. Our Motel One Graz has also packaged itself accordingly and oscillates in design between historical and contemporary ... have a look!

Making of

Graz-based artist Carola Deutsch shows the colourful facets of her hometown

From old to new to colourful

Our Motel One Graz is located in a building with a long history: the Dorotheum on Jakominiplatz used to be a magnificent department store before pragmatic concrete chic moved in during the 1970s. Now there is new splendour in old (building) substance, as both outside and inside, historical elements have been taken up and translated into the present day.

Oldie but Goldie

The reminiscences of its former elegance are played out primarily through architectural features. Stucco decorations, wallpaper patterns or the traditional herringbone parquet flooring on the reception and bar counter front skilfully pick up style elements of the past without appearing dusty.

Up, up, up

Finally and indeed true to the artistic motto, the lift, whose glazed shaft was also designed by DECASA, transports you over the roofs of Graz. Through an explosion of colour in the colours of the Graz city map - blue for water, green for forest, red for public transport, yellow and black for the road network - you travel up!