Location: Upper Austria
Linz is the provincial capital of Upper Austria
and with 206,595 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020), after Vienna
and Graz, the third largest city in Austria and the center of the
country's second largest conurbation with 801,085 people (as of
2019).
The city on the Danube has an area of 95.99 km² and
is the center of the Upper Austrian central area. As a statutory
city, it is both a municipality and a political district; also the
seat of the district authorities of the neighboring districts of
Linz-Land and Urfahr-Umgebung.
After the end of the Second
World War (1945) Linz had the reputation of a dusty steel city,
which it owed to the largest employer, the steelworks of today's
Voestalpine AG. But thanks to improved environmental protection and
numerous cultural initiatives, such as events such as the Linz
Klangwolke, the Bruckner Festival, the Pflasterspektakel and the
Prix Ars Electronica and the Ars Electronica Festival, the city
gradually gained a new image. The Crossing Europe film festival has
been held annually since 2004. In 2013 the new Musiktheater am
Volksgarten, a modern theater and opera house, was opened. With
these and other initiatives, Linz was able to position itself as a
city of culture, although some of the structures of the old
industrial city are still visible. As a university city with several
universities, Linz also has numerous courses in the arts and
culture.
The city gives its name to the Linzer Torte, the
recipe of which is considered the oldest known cake recipe in the
world.
The city is unofficially referred to as Linz on the
Danube so as not to be confused with the German city of Linz on the
Rhine.
Church of Saint Ignatius also known the Old Cathedral (German: Alter Dom) stands in the South- East corner of Hauptplatz square. It is locally known as the Alter Dom or the Old Cathedral. Church of Saint Ignatius was erected in 1783 by a personal decree of the Emperor Joseph II (1741- 90) in Baroque architectural style.
Linz Town Hall also known as Rathaus in German houses Muzum Linz' Genesis, a collection of artefacts dedicated to the history of the city of Linz.
Ernst- Koref- Promenade 11
Tel. 0732 70703600
Open: daily
Lentos Kunstmuseum was opened in May 2003. It is one of the most important museums of modern Art not only in Linz, but all of Austria.
Hauptstrasse 2
Tel. 0732 727 20
Open: Wed- Sun
The Ars Electronic Center in Linz is an important museum dedicated to electronic and digital art.
By plane
Linz-Hörsching Airport is a bit outside the city and
can be easily reached by taxi or bus. The bus runs regularly from
the main train station in Linz to the airport and back.
By
train
Central station, Bahnhofsplatz 1, 4020 Linz. The centrally
located Linz main train station is one of the most important train
stations in Austria and is on the western railway line Vienna - Linz
- Salzburg - (Munich), or on the railway line Passau-Linz-Vienna,
and the Summerauerbahn (direction north: Freistadt) and the
Pyhrnbahn (direction south: Selzthal, Graz) .: Today's modern and
transparent station building was opened in 2004 after the new
construction. Linz Central Station was voted Austria's most
beautiful train station seven times in a row by the Austrian
Transport Club (VCÖ) from 2005 to 2012. Features: free WiFi.
The
Pöstlingbergbahn is a local narrow-gauge railway and is described
under Sights-Pöstlingberg.
Linz Urfahr train station
(Mühlkreisbahnhof), Kaarstraße 18, 4040 Linz (Urfahr district). Tel
.: +43 (0) 732 930003126.
Linz-Urfahr is the south-eastern
terminus of the Mühlkreisbahn and is the only stop for this regional
railway line. There is also a connection line to Linz Central
Station, but there is no regular service. At Linz Urfahr train
station there is a transfer option to the city tram lines 3 and 4.
In the street
Linz can be reached from Salzburg and Vienna
via the A1. From Passau you use the A8 (the continuation of the
German A3), which joins the A1 southwest of Linz. To get into the
city, leave the A1 at the Linz junction and switch to the A7. After
crossing the Traun the city is reached.
The city center
should be avoided by car, as it is partly a pedestrian zone and is
very easy to reach by tram and bus.
By boat
There is a
landing stage for Danube ships on the Donaulände near the Nibelungen
Bridge in the city center.
By bicycle
From the west, Linz
can be reached from both banks of the Danube on the Danube Cycle
Path (Passau - Vienna), but the route on the south side partly leads
on a busy federal road. In the direction of Vienna there is only a
long-distance cycle path on the north bank, this runs directly on
the bank, far away from the roads.
Around the city
Tram line 1 runs from the university in Urfahr over the
Nibelungen Bridge to the city center, via the main train station to
Auwiesen, tram line 2 runs via Ebelsberg to SolarCity. Tram line 3
runs from Mühlkreisbahnhof (or Landgutstraße) in Urfahr through the
city center and the main train station to the Trauner Kreuzung, tram
line 4 to Traun Castle. All four tram lines (which are very well
timed during the day) pass the entire country road, the pedestrian
zone and the city's shopping mile. Some bus lines run across this
tram axis, which run frequently during rush hour (morning and
evening), about every 10 to 15 minutes during the day, but sometimes
only every 30 minutes in the evening. Public transport usually
leaves for the last time around midnight. On the weekends (Friday,
Saturday) and before public holidays, tram line 2 runs as night line
N82 and tram line 4 from the main train station as night line N84
between midnight and the early morning hours every half hour. There
is also a night bus route N83 between the port and Neue Heimat.
Single tickets are available from machines, advance tickets with
6 stripes are available from tobacconists. There are discounts for
schoolchildren and seniors as well as for children. The following
types of tickets are available (tariff from January 1, 2018):
Maxi (day ticket 24 hours for adults): single ticket € 4.50.
Midi (long-distance ticket for adults. In addition, day ticket for
children under 15 years of age and for people entitled to a reduced
fare; a youth ticket for people between 15 and 21 years of age as a
day ticket is also available at this price): Single ticket € 2.30.
Mini (short-haul ticket for adults and long-haul ticket for children
under 15 years of age and for people who are entitled to a reduced
fare; a youth ticket for people between 15 and 21 years of age as a
long-haul ticket is also available at this price): Single ticket €
1.20.
Weekly ticket (7 days): € 14.50.
24-hour adventure card:
city network and mountain u. Descent of the Pöstlingbergbahn: 8.60 €
/ 4.30 €.
Cell phone tickets are also available (smartphone app).