A view from the top of the Schlossberg. A bit of history:br/ br/Over 1000 years ago the small fort that stood on a rock ledge here gave the city its name. Derived from the Slavic word "Gradec", Graz means "little castle". After 1544, according to plans drawn up by Domenico dell'Allio, it was extended into a huge Renaissance fortress, now listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the strongest fortification of all time. Even Napoleon found it impossible to capture at the beginning of the 19th century; it was only in 1809, when he had occupied Vienna and was threatening to destroy the Austrian capital, that Graz surrendered. Almost all of the fortifications were razed to the ground - only the bell tower and the clock tower were allowed to remain, ransomed by the citizens of Graz and so spared.br/ br/Pics from a free day in Graz, Austria. Nov 16 2011.