Murinsel, Artificial floating island with amphitheatre and café in Graz, Austria
The Murinsel is a floating shell-shaped platform in the Mur, 47 m long and 20 m wide, reached from both banks by two footbridges. Its steel lattice carries glass panels and metal mesh, with triangular sections open to the sky. The centre forms an amphitheatre for around 350 visitors; beneath the twisted dome are a café and a playground.
The structure opened in 2003 when Graz was named European Capital of Culture, serving as a symbol of bridging the city's traditional architecture with contemporary design. This project marked a turning point in how the riverside space was used and experienced.
The name Murinsel simply means "Mur island", though the platform is a floating, air-filled hull rather than a real island. Its centre forms an amphitheatre for around 350 visitors, and the rounded dome the artist called a "Dom" holds a café and a children's playground. On 11 October 2017, World Girls' Day, the city had the exterior painted pink.
The island is reached by two footbridges from both banks of the Mur, just upstream of the Edegger Steg and a little north of the main bridge, between the Schlossberg and the Kunsthaus. The floating hull has a draught of 60 cm and its highest point stands about 6 m above the water. During the flood of 21 July 2012, when the river peaked at 6.4 m, the island was closed for several days.
The Murinsel is not a true island but a floating, air-filled hollow body: it weighs 170 tonnes, with 60 tonnes for the two access bridges and 92 tonnes for the superstructures. Its draught is 60 cm and its highest point about 6 m above the water. Two steel cables anchored to a concrete pile upstream, each with a load capacity of 135 tonnes, hold it in place.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,157 contributors worldwide.
