Graz is the second-largest city in Austria, with a population of around 245,000. Some 50,000 of this population is made up of students, as Graz is home to no less than six universities (four "standard" universities and two dedicated solely to applied sciences), and is associated with names as illustrious as Johannes Kepler, Erwin Schrodinger and Nikola Tesla. The roots of Graz can be traced backed to the times of the Romans. They were the first who built a small fort where city centre is today. Later, slovenians built a heavy fortress where the city center is today. The slovenian name of the castle is Gradec, which means castle. The name Graz is derived from this name. Graz was first mentioned with its german name in 1128 when dukes of Babenberg turned the place into a commercial centre. During 15th century Graz became the captial of inner Austria (refering to Styria,Carinthia and Carniola) under the rule of the Habsburgs. As stated above, Graz has a rich history in education expressed by the number of universities in the city. The first university was founded in 1585 (Karl-Franzens-Universitet). Due to its importance as strategic position, Graz was often aussaulted by ottoman turks in the 16th century. The fortress located on the Schlossberg (the picture to the right shows the clock tower, which is located on top of the hill) never fell to the turks. (the only place in this region) During WWII Graz was part of Nazi Germany. By the end of the war Graz fell to soviet troups. Fortunately the historic city center had not been affected by the bombings during this time. Graz was the European City of Culture for 2003.