Graz is the capital of Styria and the second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. As of 1 January 2024, Graz had a population of 339,810. In 2021, the population of the Graz larger urban zone (LUZ) stood at 665,390 based on principal-residence status. Graz is known as a college and university city, with four colleges and four universities. Combined, the city is home to more than 60,000 students. Its historic centre (Altstadt) is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe.

Styria is an Austrian federal state in the south-eastern part of the country. With an area of 16,401 km2 (6,332 sq mi), Styria is Austria's second largest federal state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and clockwise, from the southwest, by the Austrian federal states Carinthia, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and Burgenland. The federal state's capital is Graz. In the European Union's vocabulary, Styria is a province.