Hartberg, between Graz and Vienna
If you happen to be travelling between Vienna and Graz, and you would like to make a break in a really pretty and typical town instead of at one of the highway rest stops, it pays to make the very short detour to the center of Hartberg. Hartberg is said to be the 2nd prettiest town in the Austrian province known as Styria (Steiermark), and we are really happy we stopped here. The town has just over 6000 inhabitants and has one of the best preserved old medieval town centers in Styria, the town itself having been founded in the year 1122. It pays to just wander around the main pedestrian street, but if you're looking for specific "sights", then there is the old town wall, the church on the square called "Kernstockplatz" (built according to the rules of the Capuccin monks), the Hartberg Castle (in the middle of town), and the city hall.
