The Graz Castle is located in the east of the old town of Graz, near the Graz Cathedral, and was built in 1438 by Duke Friedrich V, who later became Roman-German Emperor Friedrich III. Due to the low defense value, the castle was connected to the fortress on the Schloßberg via a covered corridor. From 1564 Graz was the capital of Inner Austria and the castle became the seat of the inner Austrian archdukes. Because of this position, it was rebuilt and enlarged. After Archduke Ferdinand II was crowned emperor in 1619 and moved to Vienna, the castle lost its function as the seat of the sovereign and was neglected. In the centuries that followed, renovation work took place several times, but only included parts of the building structure. In 1822 part of the castle was considered dilapidated and between 1853 and 1854 part of the building was demolished. At the beginning of the 20th century, the building was expanded again and since 1922 the Graz castle has been the seat of the Styrian governor. During the Second World War, the building structure was partially severely damaged and rebuilt from 1947. Between 1950 and 1952 new buildings were built, which are known as the New Castle. Today, in addition to the office of the state governor, there are also several departments of the office of the Styrian state government. The castle is only partially open to the public. So only the castle courtyards and the double spiral staircase can be visited freely.