Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LINZ
0732 / POP 193,500
'In Linz beginnt's'
(it begins in Linz) goes the Austrian saying, and it's spot on. This is a
city on the move. Daring public art installations, a burgeoning cultural scene, a cyber-
centre and a cutting-edge gallery that look freshly minted for a sci-fi movie all signal to-
morrow's Austria, and reveal that Linz has its finger on the pulse of the country's techno-
logy industry.
It took a long time coming, but since Linz seized the reins as European Capital of Cul-
ture in 2009, the world has been waking up to the charms of Austria's third city. Sitting
astride the Danube, Linz rewards visitors who look beyond its less-than-lovable industrial
outskirts.
History
Linz was a fortified Celtic village when the Romans took over and named it Lentia. By the
8th century, when the town came under Bavaria's rule, its name had changed to Linze, and
by the 13th century it was an important trading town for raw materials out of Styria. In
1489 Linz became the imperial capital under Friedrich III until his death in 1493.
Like much of Upper Austria, Linz was at the forefront of the Protestant movement in
the 16th and 17th centuries. With the Counter-Reformation, however, Catholicism made a
spectacular comeback. The city's resurgence in the 19th century was largely due to the de-
velopment of the railway, when Linz became an important junction.
Adolf Hitler may have been born in Braunau am Inn, but Linz was his favourite city (he
spent his schooldays here), and his largely unrealised plans for Linz were grand. His Nazi
movement built massive iron- and steelworks, which still employ many locals. After
WWII Linz was at the border between the Soviet- and US-administered zones. Since
1955, Linz has flourished to become an important industrial city, port and provincial capit-
al.
