Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the
state of
Upper Austria (). It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately 30 km south of the
Czech border, on both sides of the river
Danube. The population of the city is 189,343 (2007), and that of the Greater Linz
conurbation is 271,000.
History
The Pöstlingberg church in Linz.
Origins
The city was founded by the
Romans, who called it
Lentia.
The name
Linz was first recorded in 799 AD, after
Bavarians expanded south and Linz became a center of trade.
Holy Roman Empire
It was a provincial and local government city of the
Holy Roman Empire, and an important trading point connecting several routes, on either side of the river
Danube from the East to the West and
Bohemia and
Poland from north to the
Balkans and Italy to the south. Being the city where the
Habsburg Emperor Friedrich III spent his last years, it was, for a short period of time, the most important city in the empire.
It lost its status to
Vienna and
Prague after the death of the Emperor in 1493.
One important inhabitant of the city was
Johannes Kepler, who spent several years of his life in the city studying mathematics. He discovered, on 15 May 1618, the distance-cubed-over-time-squared — or 'third' —
law of planetary motion. Kepler is the namesake of the
local public university. Another famous citizen was
Anton Bruckner, who spent the years between 1855 and 1868 working as a local composer and church organist in the city. The local concert hall "Brucknerhaus" and a local private music and arts university are named after him.
A statue of Kepler in Linz
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was born in the border town of
Braunau am Inn but moved to Linz in his childhood. Hitler spent most of his youth in the Linz area, from 1898 until 1907, when he left for
Vienna. The family lived first in the village of
Leonding on the outskirts of town, and then in an apartment on the Humboldtstrasse in Linz itself. Hitler's parents are buried in Leonding.
Hermann-Göring-Werke
After elementary education in Leonding, Hitler was enrolled in the
Realschule (school) in Linz, as was the philosopher
Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Notorious
Holocaust architect
Adolf Eichmann also spent his youth in Linz.
The association of the city with Hitler's childhood warranted an allusion in a poem by
W.H. Auden,
September 1, 1939: "Accurate scholarship can/Unearth the whole offense/ From Luther until now/ That has driven a culture mad, Find what occurred at Linz...."
To the end of his life, Hitler considered Linz to be his "home town", and envisioned extensive architectural schemes for it, wanting it to become the main cultural centre of the Third Reich. In order to make the city economically vibrant, Hitler initiated a major industrialization of Linz shortly before, and during, World War II. Many factories were dismantled in the newly-acquired
Czechoslovakia and then reassembled in Linz, including the
Hermann-Göring-Werke (now
voestalpine). In addition to an ordnance depot, Linz has a benzol (oil) plant which was bombed during the
Oil Campaign on 16 October 1944.
The
Mauthausen-Gusen, located near Linz, were the last
Nazi concentration camps to be liberated by the
Allies. While in operation, they were the source of quarrying for stone for Hitler's prestige projects across the Reich. The main camp in
Mauthausen is just away from Linz.
Today
After the war, the river
Danube that runs through Linz — from the western side to the south-eastern side — which separates the Urfahr district in the north from the rest of Linz — served as the border between the Russian and American occupation troops. The
Nibelungen bridge that spans the
Danube river from the Hauptplatz (main square) was at that time Linz's version of
Checkpoint Charlie. The Nibelungen Brücke with the two bridge head buildings is the only architectural plan Hitler ever carried out in Linz.
Population development
thumb|Church of Saints Michael and Ursula, LinzThe agglomeration includes (parts of) 13 other municipalities with together 271,000 inhabitants. Linz is also part of the Linz-Wels-Steyr
metropolitan area of
Upper Austria, home to around one third of the state's population (460,000 people) and second-largest urban area in Austria.
Districts
Linz is divided into 9 districts and 36 statistical quarters. They are:
- Innenstadt: Altstadtviertel, Rathausviertel, Kaplanhofviertel, Neustadtviertel, Volksgartenviertel, Römerberg-Margarethen
- Waldegg: Freinberg, Froschberg, Keferfeld, Bindermichl, Spallerhof, Wankmüllerhofviertel, Andreas-Hofer-Platz-Viertel
- Lustenau: Makartviertel, Franckviertel, Hafenviertel
- Kleinmünchen: Kleinmünchen, Neue Welt, Scharlinz, Bergern, Neue Heimat, Wegscheid, Schörgenhub
- Urfahr: Alt-Urfahr, Heilham, Hartmayrsiedlung, Harbachsiedlung, Karlhofsiedlung, Auberg
- Pöstlingberg:Pöstlingberg, Bachl-Gründberg
- St. Magdalena: St. Magdalena, Katzbach, Elmberg
Economy
Linz is an
industrial city. The
Voestalpine AG is a large
steel concern (founded as the "
Hermann Göring Werke" during World War II), and which is known for the LD- (
"Linz-Donawitz") procedure for the production of steel, and the former "Chemie Linz" chemical group, which has been split up into several companies. This has made Linz one of Austria's most important economic centres. Linz is also the home of
Pez ( makers of peppermint candy).
Traffic
Linz also serves as an important transportation hub for the region of both Upper Austria and, to a lesser degree, southern
Bohemia. The "Blue Danube"
Linz Airport lies about 6.25 miles (10 km) southwest of the town centre. Direct flights include
Frankfurt,
Düsseldorf and
Vienna with additional seasonal routes added during the summer and winter months.
Ryanair flies to
London Stansted Airport.
The city lies on Austria's main rail axis, the so-called "Westbahn", linking Vienna with western Austria, Germany and Switzerland. There are also varying types of river transport on the
Danube; from industrial barges to tourist cruise ships.
Main sights
The Brucknerhaus.
The Eisenbahnbrücke (railway bridge) at night, with the more modern VöestAlpine bridge in the background
The main street "Landstraße" leads from the "Blumauerplatz" to the main square. In the middle of this square the high "Pestsäule" ("
plague column", also known as "Dreifaltigkeitssäule" (Dreifaltigkeit means
Holy Trinity)) was built to remember the people who died in the
plague epidemics.
Near the castle, being the former seat of Friedrich the III — the oldest Austrian church is located: Sankt/Saint Martins church. It was built during early medieval
Carolingian times.
Other sights include:
- Pöstlingberg-Kirche: pilgrimage church on the Pöstlingberg hill
- Brucknerhaus — the concert hall named after the composer Anton Bruckner, who was born in Ansfelden, a small town next to Linz.
- Gugl Stadium, is home to the LASK (Linzer Athletik Sport Klub), which is claimed to be the third oldest soccer club in Austria.
Culture
The Lentos Art Museum.
The city is now home to a vibrant music and arts scene that is well-funded by the city and the state of Upper Austria. Between the
Lentos Art Museum and the "Brucknerhaus", is the "Donaulände", which is also referred to as "Kulturmeile" ("culture mile"). This is a park alongside the river, which is used mainly by young people to relax and meet in summer. It is also used for the Ars Electronica Festival and the "Linz Fest". Linz has other culture institutions, such as the Posthof, which is near the harbour,
and the
Stadtwerkstatt, which is by the Danube river.
Linz is the
European Capital of Culture in 2009, along with
Vilnius, the capital of
Lithuania.
Art
The recently built
Lentos (2003) is a modern art gallery, presenting art from the 20th and 21st centuries. It is situated on the south banks of the river Danube. The building can be illuminated at night from the inside with blue, pink, red, and violet, due to its glass casing.
The
Ars Electronica Center (AEC) is a museum and research facility on the north bank of the Danube (in the Urfahr district), across the river from the Hauptplatz (main square). The AEC is a significant world center for new media arts, attracting a large gathering of technologically-oriented artists every year for the
Ars Electronica festival. The AEC museum is home to one of the few public 3D
CAVEs in Europe.
Music
The
Brucknerhaus, the most important concert hall in Linz is named after
Anton Bruckner. It is situated just some 200 meters away from the "Lentos". It is home to the "Bruckner Orchestra", and is frequently used for concerts, as well as Balls and other events.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his
Symphony No. 36 (1783) in Linz for a concert to be given there, and the work is known today as the
Linz Symphony. The first version of
Anton Bruckner's
Symphony No. 1 in C minor is known as the Linz version.
Colleges and universities
- The Johannes Kepler University is situated in the north-east of Linz, and hosts law, business, social sciences, engineering, and science faculties; about 13416 students (October 2007) are enrolled. A spin-off of the university, as well as a Fachhochschule for various computer-related studies, (polytechnic) is located 20 miles north of Linz in the small town of Hagenberg im Mühlkreis. Linz also hosts three other universities:
Amongst the many "Gymnasien" (
high schools) in Linz, is
Linz International School Auhof (LISA), which is one of four IB (
International Baccalaureate) schools in Austria, and uses English as main language for instruction.
Born in Linz
- Hermann Bahr (1863–1934) writer, playwright, director, and critic
- Vera Lischka (born 1977) breaststroke swimmer and politician
- Marco Krainer (born 1981) Austrian specialty and TV chef with connections to the United States
Living in Linz:
- Klaus von Pervulesko (born in Innsbruck, 1945) actor.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Linz is twinned with:
- Halle, Germany, since 1975
