Is Graz as nice as it seems?

19 comments

1. > Can I get by with Hochdeutsch ok there

   Shouldn’t be a problem and you can always try english. I live in Graz since 2005 and while I talk a lot of shit about it all the time, I find it very lovely here. It’s nice.

2. >except maybe the Styrian dialect they speak there

   In Graz it’s mostly Hochdeutsch nowadays, no problems there.

   Overall I think Freiburg is quite comparable it really comes down to what you want.

3. “Get by”… of course! everyone understands Hochdeutsch and after a short time you’ll also understand the dialect.

4. >Styrian dialect

   Don’t make the mistake of confusing Graz with Styria. Fun fact: “waaay back” Graz was mostly settled by people from Bavaria and not so much from the rest of today’s Austria. Under the late Habsburg rule a lot of K+K public servants migrated from Vienna to Graz for their retirement and brought the “Wiener Kanzleisprache” with them. While there used to be a whole bunch of sociolects in the different districts of Graz (Inner City snobbish-Standard Austrian-German with heavy influences from the aforementioned Kanzleisprache vs. “peasants” in Puntigam or Eggenberg) nowadays it is an East-Austrian Standard variety with very mild influences from Styrian dialects. Overall, I’d say that the dialect/standard variety spoken in Graz is the one closest to Hochdeutsch in all of Austria!

5. I think Graz is an excellent choice to live in. Go for it. 🙂

6. Been in graz since 2011 great place to live 🙂

7. Graz is a great city to live in. And most people don’t speak Styrian dialect, many speak (almost) Hochdeutsch, especially younger people.

8. Graz is a very nice city with a very high quality of living. And if you like sunny weather, Graz has you covered: it is one of the sunniest and warmest regions in Austria with a lot of vineyards in the proximity.

   According to things, you should be aware of: driving by car in Graz is a pretty horrible experience. You’re normally faster using a bycicle or public transit. Especially when the first snow is falling, havoc plays with the streets.

   And the Styrian dialect is almost none-existing in Graz, as most of the people <40 years old speak the standard version of German. Seniors might have a dialect, but the normal Styrian dialect around Graz isn’t thick (In contrast to other Styrian regions).

9. I moved to California from Graz, miss it a lot, I really enjoyed living there for a few years.

10. It’s run by the communist party – so expect some UdSSR flare

11. You shouldn’t worry about the styrian dialect that much. It’s really not that common in Graz. Most people go with Hochdeutsch to communicate with others. Of course, occasionally you might run into someone with a dialect, but if you ask them politely to repeat what they said, they’ll repeat it in Hochdeutsch.
    Since you mentioned studying at a university in Germany, I assume you plan on doing the same if you end up moving here. If that’s the case, Graz is a great choice. It’s kinda known for being the city of schools and universities. (fun fact: Nikola Tesla studied at the TU Graz ^^ )
    Also, just a heads up: Most young people here speak pretty decent english, so don’t be afraid to approach someone in english.
    Regarding your question about the weather: honestly it’s pretty alright. Definitely not that gloomy like some parts of Germany. Winter really isn’t that harsh here and Spring and especially Summer offer mostly warm and sunny weather. Of course, we are no Florida, but during Summers it can still get pretty hot here.

    Hope this answers your questions about Graz atleast a bit.
    If you want to know about something else, feel free to ask again.

12. Best city in the world. Been there my whole life.

13. Of all the cities in Austria Graz is probably the best. So much good memories. Love goes out to you people from Graz 😀

14. You can’t compare Freiburg im Breisgau to any austrian city. Freiburg is a veery special city regarding quality of life and transportation.

    That said – Graz is surely also a nice city to live in.

15. Graz is very nice, but it has a major problem:

    It’s not Vienna.

16. Having lived there for several years I can confim the other comments: Graz is awesome! It is exactly the right size, small town but quite vibrant. It is also a university town, which I guess is immediately noticeable. This is also the reason, I would say that language shouldn’t be a problem.

    Good luck!

17. Graz, the only austrian city where ive got seriously threatened to get beat up only because i was walking through the park. In the summer, at lunchtime.
    Have been there 3 times. Always an experience i would rather want to forget.

18. You should also check out innsbruck. The near mountains and differnt sport possibilities makes such a differnce

19. Depends what you want out of it.

    Graz is good for young people, people that feel young and people that like urban lifestyle.

    Professionally, I found job offer in Graz not so attractive, but that’s a question of taste. Many people found their professional luck here.

    I wouldn’t say people here speak equal german to germans, there are difference and you can’t avoid people that speak actual the dialect, but if you could understand like bayrisch, you’ll be ok. I was initially afraid of the dialect, but I learned to prefer the local variant of german over hochdeutsch.