Graz is the capital of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna, with the population of 320,000.

Graz has a long tradition as a "university town": its six universities have more than 44,000 students. Its "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe.

Symbols of Graz, which are indispensable on all postcards, are:

• The Schloßberg or Schlossberg, a tree-clad hill, and the site of a fortress, in the centre of the Graz. The hill is now a public park and enjoys extensive views of the city. It is the site of several entertainment venues, cafés and restaurants, and is managed by Holding Graz, the city owned utility company.
• Innere Stadt is the first district of Graz. It is the part of the Old Town containing the Schloßberg and the city park (Stadtpark). The district borders are formed by the Mur river between Radetzkybrücke and Keplerbrücke, the Wickenburggasse, the Glacis, Jakominiplatz and the Radetzkystraße. In 1999, the Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Kunsthaus Graz, or Graz Art Museum was built as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 and has since become an architectural landmark in Graz, Austria. Its exhibition program specializes in contemporary art of the last four decades.
• Landeszeughaus, is the world's largest historic armoury and attracts visitors from all over the world. It holds approximately 32,000 pieces of weaponry, tools, suits of armour for battle and ones for parades.
• Pubs, that increasingly resemble those in Ireland and England, are concentrated around the historic core of the city.

Ptuj is located in the eastern part of Slovenia, in the southern part of the province of Styria. The city is located 30 km southeast of Maribor, the first major city.

Ptuj is an important traffic hub. The city runs the railroad from Pragerski to Ormož and further to Croatia or Murska Sobota, and further into Hungary via Hodoš.

The position of the city is in the valley of the Drava River, the westernmost part of the Pannonian Plain, at the point where this valley is the widest. The beginning, today the historical core of Ptuj is on the bank above the river, from which the surrounding plain was easy to control. The altitude of Ptuj is 232 m.

The area of ​​Ptuj was settled even in the younger Stone Age. The Celts settled Ptuj in the late Iron Age. In the 1st century BC Christ's settlement was under the control of ancient Rome. The first written description of Ptuj, under the original name Poetovio, dates from the year 69 AD, when the Roman Emperor Vespasian was elected. Already in the era of Rome, Ptuj has developed into an extremely important commercial, customs and administrative center. In the 103rd year of Emperor Trajan, Ptuj was given the status of a civil center and the name Kolonia Ulpia Traiana Poetovia. The city had 40,000 inhabitants until it attacked Hun.

570 AD, the city was occupied by Avar and the old Slavs. Between 840 and 874 belonged to the Balaton principality of Slovene Pribina and Kocelje. Between 874 and 890 Ptuj gradually fell under the influence of the Diocese of Salzburg. As German Petau, he was involved in the Duchy of Styria in 1555.

In 1376 Ptuj got its city statute. In the 17th century, when the Turks occupied much of Hungary, Ptuj was completely destroyed. In the 19th century, the city was located further away from important traffic routes.

According to the latest Austrian population census of 1910, 86% of the population of Ptuj were Germans. The surroundings of Ptuj were predominantly populated by the Slovene population. During the German occupation, from 1941-45. The Slovenian population was abducted from Ptuj forcibly. Their houses were taken over mostly by the Germans from Bolzano. Later, after German capitulation, all Germans were forcibly evicted to Austria.