Anyone wishing to familiarize themselves with the heritage of Art Nouveau is invited to take a special walk along the Greiz section of the European Art Nouveau Route. Alongside metropolises such as Barcelona, Vienna, Brussels, Paris and Riga, Greiz is also part of the international community of Art Nouveau cities. Even after more than a hundred years, Art Nouveau buildings have retained their very specific aura and continue to fascinate. Within a few years, Art Nouveau became widespread throughout Europe and became one of the symbols of the Belle Époque (French for "beautiful era") in the run-up to the First World War.

The fact that there is a considerable number of attractive Art Nouveau buildings to discover in Greiz and that the town on the White Elster is thus a little sister to well-known European Art Nouveau towns may come as a surprise at first glance. In the former capital of the principality of Reuss of the older line - which experienced a great boom in its textile industry in the 19th century - there were a number of open-minded, potent builders and architects who embraced the contemporary style.

The variety of purposes underlying the Art Nouveau buildings in Greiz is remarkable. Examples of housing, churches, schools, industrial buildings, department stores and bridges can be found throughout the city.