Linz - Architecture and Technology Hotspot

Linz on the Danube is an innovative, contemporary city where culture, architecture, nature and science coexist as a satisfying whole. The European Cultural Capital of 2009 is true to its slogan, „Linz.changes“. Modern cultural buildings sit harmoniously with baroque facades, and there is ground-breaking industrial architecture with energy efficient facades and interior design.
Contemporary art, the world of technology, interactive museums and green oases await the visitor in one of Austria’s most successful cities, which strives to be both trail-blazer and trend-setter. “Culture for all” is the theme evident in Linz’s many events, exhibitions and public spaces.
Linz’s city centre is both shopping paradise and pleasure dome. Hospitality and gastronomy are taken seriously here and Linzer Torte is the city’s sweetest and most famous ambassador.

From contemporary art to life sciences
A rolling programme of art exhibitions at the LENTOS Kunstmuseum  (new window) includes masterpieces from the 19th – 21st centuries, and famous names such as Klimt, Schiele, Warhol and Helnwein feature in a broad spectrum of contemporary art. This elegant glass building is attractively located on the right bank of the Danube, facing its equally striking architectural counterpart on the opposite bank, the Ars Electronica Center  (new window). This institution hosts a virtual world of experiences through interactive media and state of the art technology. It puts in the spotlight the interconnectivity between technology, art and society and addresses issues of critical importance in those areas of knowledge which are developing most rapidly and controversially: the so-called life sciences. The Deep Space installation offers 3D voyages through space and time; you can witness the “Last Supper” by Da Vinci at close range, virtually ski the legendary Streif downhill run, or immerse yourself in the infinity of the universe.
The OK Offenes Kulturhaus Oberösterreich  (new window) is an arts laboratory which encourages experimentation in all forms of contemporary art. It serves as exhibition space, workshop and production studio for installations and media art of every genre and gives artists the opportunity to realize their work from an initial concept all the way through to its implementation. The square in front of the OK building has been completely redesigned as a meeting place of culture and gastronomy.

A celebration of technology
The new south wing up at Linzer Schloss  (new window) provides a great view of the city and is home to Austria’s biggest universal museum. Alongside permanent exhibitions on nature and the history of art, the “Upper Austrian Technology” exhibit provides the layman and laywoman with a fascinating perspective of the province’s industrial and technological heritage.
The city‘s voestalpine AG steelworks  (new window) manufacturers steel of the highest quality and develops products and innovative solutions for a worldwide market, making it  a highly successful international concern. In 1949 voestalpine AG developed a new technology for clean steel production (the Linz-Donauwitz process) and is today one of the cleanest steelworks in Europe.
At Stahlwelt, the steelworks’ visitor and exhibition centre, the public can explore the steel production process and see its many innovative applications through multimedia installations and get right to the heart of production on a works tour. The architecture of the visitors’ centre itself demonstrates the many innovative and aesthetic uses of steel.

Steepest railway track and a magnificent panorama
The Pöstlingberg is a mountain in the heart of Linz and its attractions include, apart from a basilica, restaurants and Linz Zoo, a fantastic panoramic view across the Danube, the city and its green spaces. A ride on the Pöstlingbergbahn is the best way to ascend the mountain - according to the Guinness Book of World Records the steepest railway track in the world. The train takes 20 minutes to climb the 4.14 km long track with an altitude difference of 255 metres.

Great genius, great vision
Be it a city centre solar power station disguised as a high-rise office block, high grade steel with an international order book, free Wi-Fi for all or a little peppermint making a triumphal procession around the world, Linz is an inventive city full of surprises. The city is and has always been a nurturing place for inventors, scientists, designers and manufacturers. It is these people who have helped to form and embody the special spirit of Linz: a head in the clouds, but both feet firmly on the floor.
Visionaries with a head for business have ensured that an astounding number of international companies and a considerable number of global market leaders have set up in Linz. The harmonious cooperation of reputed/supposed extremes is typical of Linz. A highly profitable and clean industry works in harmony with a city which boasts an almost extravagant amount of green spaces and a rich cultural scene, always open to innovation.
Noteworthy residents who have written the city’s history and left their mark on the cityscape include the astronomer Johannes Kepler, musical genius Anton Bruckner, water scientist Viktor Schauberger, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the pioneer of the Pöstlingbergbahn, engineer Josef Urbaniski. Natives of Linz such as Vienna State Opera conductor Franz Welser Möst and Jedermann actress Birgit Minichmayr are currently delighting international audiences.