The Second Fortress Gate
The second fortress gate on Graz’s Schlossberg was blown up on Napoleon’s orders in 1809. The nearby Cannon Bastion survives to this day.
On this spot the fortress road passed through the second fortress gate.
Between the fortress walls to the east and the Stable or Cannon Bastion to the west, it ran almost in a straight line along what is now the path to the upper fortress gate, the entrance to the higher-lying area of the upper fortress. The section between the two gates was built from 1544 onwards as part of the conversion of the Schlossberg into a bastion fortress and was known as the “Neustadt” (New Town).
Like most of the fortifications built under the supervision of Domenico dell’Allio, the second and upper gates were also blown up in 1809 on Napoleon’s orders. However, the Cannon Bastion has survived and is now one of the most impressive relics of the Renaissance fortress.