Linz 55856 224291693 2008-07-08T05:06:22Z Lanma726 1163293 {{For|the town in Germany|Linz am Rhein}} {{For|the New Zealand government agency|Land Information New Zealand}} {{Infobox Town AT| name=Linz| name_local=| image_coa =Linz_CoA.png| image_map =Map at linz.png| state = [[Upper Austria]] | district = Statutory city| population =188968| population_as_of = 01.01.2006| population_ref =| pop_dens =1,957.4| area = 96.048| elevation = 266| lat_deg=48| lat_min=18| lat_sec=11| lat_hem=N| lon_deg=14| lon_min=17| lon_sec=26| lon_hem=E| postal_code = 4010, 402x, 4030, 404x| area_code =0732| licence = L| mayor = Franz Dobusch ([[SPÖ]])|list_of_mayors=List of mayors of Linz| website = [http://www.linz.at www.linz.at]| }} [[Image:Poestlingberg 20050429.jpg|thumb|285px|right|The Pöstlingberg church in Linz.]] [[Image:Linz Donau.jpg|thumb|285px|View of Linz from the Pöstlingberg mountain.]] '''Linz''' is the third largest city of [[Austria]] and capital of the [[States of Austria|state]] of [[Upper Austria]] ({{lang-de|Oberösterreich}}). It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately 30 km south of the [[Czech Republic|Czech]] border, on both sides of the river [[Danube]], the longest river of the European Union and the longest river in [[Europe]] after the [[Volga]]. The population of the city itself is 189,343 (2007), and 271,000 in the Greater Linz [[conurbation]]. ==History== The city was founded by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], who called it "Lentia", but there was already a [[Celt]]ic settlement called "Lentos", and was first noted in 799 AD.<ref name="AboutAustria">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.aboutaustria.org/capitals/linz.htm |title=Linz City Travel Guide |publisher=About Austria |accessdate=2008-04-15}}</ref> 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]] [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Friedrich III]] spent his last years, it was, for a short period of time, the most important city in the empire.<ref name="thePeerage">{{cite web |first=Darryl |last=Lundy |url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p11357.htm#i113570 |title=A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe |publisher=The Peerage |accessdate=2008-04-15}}</ref> 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 [[May 15]], [[1618]], the distance-cubed-over-time-squared &mdash; or 'third' &mdash; [[Kepler's laws of planetary motion|law of planetary motion]]. Kepler is the namesake of the [[Johannes Kepler University Linz|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. [[Adolf Hitler]] was born in the border town of [[Braunau am Inn]] but moved to Linz in his childhood, spending most of his youth there. Hitler's parents are buried in the town of [[Leonding]], near Linz. Hitler was enrolled in the Realschule [school], as was the philosopher [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]]. Hitler had extensive architectural plans for Linz, and wanted to it to be the main cultural centre of the Third Reich. The Rathaus on the Hauptplatz (the Town Hall on the Main square) was used by Hitler to proclaim the Grossdeutsches Reich during the [[Anschluss]] of [[1938]]. 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, where they were known as the [[Hermann-Göring-Werke]]. This factory still exists today as the [[voestalpine]] steel company. Linz grew to become a major industrial area; manufacturing chemicals and steel for the [[Nazism|Nazi]] war machine. The [[Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp|Mauthausen-Gusen]] camps, where stone for Hitler's prestige projects across the Reich was quarried and the last [[Nazism|Nazi]] [[concentration camps]] to be liberated, are located near Linz. The main camp in [[Mauthausen]] is just 15.6 miles (25km) away. After the war, the river [[Danube]] that runs through Linz &mdash; from the eastern side to the northern side &mdash; which separates the Urfahr district in the north from the rest of Linz &mdash; 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== {|class="wikitable" !Year !Population |- |1900||83,356 |- |1951||184,685 |- |1961||195,978 |- |1971||204,889 |- |1981||199,910 |- |1991||203,044 |- |2001||183,504 |- |2006||188,968 |} The 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.<ref>[http://www.statistik.at/blickgem/blick1/g40101.pdf City of Linz Website ] statistik.at - Retrieved 31 October 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.linz.at/zahlen/040%5FBevoelkerung/040%5FHauptwohnsitzbevoelkerung/ Population] linz.at/zahlen - Retrieved 31 October 2007</ref> ==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 #St. Peter #Kleinmünchen: Kleinmünchen, Neue Welt, Scharlinz, Bergern, Neue Heimat, Wegscheid, Schörgenhub #Ebelsberg #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 industry|steel concern]] (founded as the "[[Hermann Göring]] Werke" during WWII), and which is known for the LD- ([[Basic_oxygen_steelmaking|"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]] &mdash; makers of peppermint candy. 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 (10km) southwest of the town centre. Direct flights include [[Frankfurt]], [[Zurich]] and [[Vienna]] with additional seasonal routes added during the summer and winter months. [[Ryanair]] fly 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. [[Image:Brucknerhaus.jpg|thumb|250px|The Brucknerhaus.]] ==Main sights== 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 [[Black Death|plague]] epidemics.<ref>[http://members.liwest.at/idv/impress/anim/dreifaltigkeitssaeule.jpg The Plague Column] liwest.at - Retrieved 31 October 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.linz.at/aktuell/presse/images/990601.jpg The top of the column] linz.at - Retrieved 31 October 2007</ref> Near the castle, which is located on the same site as the old Roman fortress Lentia was once built &mdash; and also being the former seat of Friedrich the III &mdash; the oldest Austrian church is located: Sankt/Saint Martins church. It was built during early medieval [[Carolingian]] times.<ref name="StMartinChurchLinz">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.linz.at/english/Tourism/1146.asp |title=St. Martin's Church, Linz (in English) |publisher=Linz City Tourist Board |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> Other sights include: * [[St. Mary's Cathedral, Linz|St. Mary's Cathedral]] (Mariendom), Roman Catholic.<ref name="NewCathedral">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.dioezese-linz.at/redaktion/index.php?page_new=2500 |title=Mariendom (New Cathedral in Linz) |publisher=Mariendom |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> * [[Pöstlingberg-Kirche]] * [[Brucknerhaus]] &mdash; the concert hall named after the composer [[Anton Bruckner]], who was born in [[Ansfelden]], a small town next to Linz.<ref>[http://www.andreas-praefcke.de/carthalia/austria/images/a_linz_brucknerhaus.jpg Brucknerhaus] andreas-praefcke.de - Retrieved 31 October 2007</ref> * Gugl Stadium, is home to the [[LASK Linz|LASK]] (Linzer Athletik Sport Klub), which is claimed to be the third oldest soccer club in Austria.<ref name="LaskHomePage">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://lask.at/content/lask/home/startseite/index_ger.html |title=LASK |publisher=LASK |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> * The Linzer Landschaftliche Theater or Landestheater<ref name="LandestheaterHitler">{{cite web |author=[[George Tabori]] |url=http://www.landestheater-linz.at/490_DE-Stuecke-Stueckinfo.htm?stueckid=173 |title=Mein Kampf: Farce in fünf Akten |language=German|publisher=Landestheater |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> is the theater Adolf Hitler and his friend August Kubizek always went to, to hear Wagner.<ref name="Landestheater">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.landestheater-linz.at/257_DE |title=Die Spielzeit 2007/2008 |publisher= Landestheater |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> ==Culture== [[Image:LentosNightBlue.jpg|thumb|250px|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".<ref>[http://www.lentos.at/de/ The Lentos homepage] lentos.at - Retrieved 10 November 2007 </ref> Linz has other culture institutions, such as the Posthof, which is near the harbour,<ref name="PosthofLinz">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.posthof.at/ |title=Welcome Posthof 04 2008 |publisher=Posthof |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> and the [[Stadtwerkstatt]], which is by the Danube river.<ref name="Stadtwerkstadt">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.servus.at/stwst/ |title=Stadtwerkstadt |publisher=Stadtwerkstadt |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> Linz will become the [[European Capital of Culture]] in 2009.<ref name="Linz2009">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.linz09.at/en/index.html |title=European Capital of Culture |publisher=Linz Tourist Board |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> ===Art=== Recently built (2003) was the new modern art gallery called "Lentos". 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 [[Cave Automatic Virtual Environment|CAVE]]s 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 (Mozart)|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. Along with [[Vilnius]], the capital of [[Lithuania]], Linz will be the [[European Capital of Culture]] in 2009. ==Colleges and universities== The [[Johannes Kepler University Linz|Johannes Kepler University]] is situated in the north-east of Linz, and hosts law, business, social sciences, engineering, and science faculties; currently about 11,000 students 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 hosts also three other universities: * [[University of Arts and Industrial Design Linz]], public, for arts and industrial design (approx. 800 students) * [[Anton Bruckner Private University for Music, Drama, and Dance]] (private) for music (approx. 800 students) * [[Catholic-Theological Private University Linz]] (private) for Catholic theology (approx. 400 students), which has been a [[Papal]] faculty since 1978. Amongst the many "Gymnasien" ([[high school]]s) 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== * [[Mary Anne of Austria]] (1683-1754), Queen consort of [[Portugal]] * [[Alois Riegl]] (1858-1905) art historian * [[Hermann Bahr]] (1863-1934) writer, playwright, director, and critic * [[Adolf Eichmann]] (1906-1962) official of the [[Nazi]] [[holocaust]] * [[Richard Tauber]] (1891-1948) [[tenor]] * [[Valie Export]] (born 1940) artist * [[Herwig van Staa]] (born 1942) governor of [[Tyrol]] * [[Frank Elstner]] (born 1942) presenter on German [[television]] * [[Helmut Wiesinger]] (born 1952) actor, author and stage director. * [[Anton Koschany]] (born 1953) news producer * [[Elisabeth Theurer]] (born 1956) horse rider * [[Franz Welser-Möst]] (born 1960) music director, The [[Cleveland]] [[Orchestra]] and the [[Zurich]] [[Opera]] House, designated music director of the [[Vienna State Opera]] * [[Vera Lischka]] (born 1977) breaststroke swimmer and politician * [[Birgit Minichmayr]] (born 1977) actress * [[Thomas Marban]] (born 1979) entrepreneur * [[Sybille Bammer]] (born 1980) tennis player * [[Marco Krainer]] (born 1981) Austrian specialty and TV chef with connections to the [[United States]] '''Living in Linz''': * [[Andrew Edge]] (born in [[Leeds]], [[England]]) musician.<ref name="AndrewEdgebiog">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.andrewedge.com/ |title=Andrew Edge |publisher=Andrew Edge |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> * [[Doug Hammond]] (born in [[Tampa, Florida]], 1942) musician.<ref name="DougHammondbiog">{{cite web |first= |last= |url=http://www.doughammond.org/ |title=Doug Hammond biog |publisher=Doug Hammond |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> * Klaus von Pervulesko (born in [[Innsbruck]], 1945) actor.<ref name="KlausPervuleskoNashorn">{{cite web |first=Balduin |last=Sulzer |url=http://www.ooejo.eduhi.at/Freiberufliches/Das%20musikalische%20Nashorn/Das%20musikalische%20Nashorn.htm |title=Das musikalische Nashorn |publisher=Gerhard Brössner |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> ==Twin towns== Linz is twinned with: * {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Charlottenburg|Berlin-Charlottenburg]], [[Germany]], since 1995 * {{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Ceske Budejovice]], [[Czech Republic]], since 1987 * {{flagicon|China}} [[Chengdu]], [[China]], since 1983 * {{flagicon|Tunisia}} [[Gabès]], [[Tunisia]], since 1977 * {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Halle, Saxony-Anhalt|Halle]], [[Germany]], since 1975 * {{flagicon|USA}} [[Kansas City, Kansas|Kansas City]], [[United States]], since 1988 * {{flagicon|South Korea}} [[Gwangyang]], [[South Korea]], since 1991 * {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Linköping]], [[Sweden]], since 1995 * {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Linz am Rhein]], Germany, since 1987 * {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Modena]], [[Italy]], since 1992 * {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Nizhny Novgorod]], [[Russia]], since 1993 * {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Norrköping]], Sweden, since 1995 * {{flagicon|Nicaragua}} [[San Carlos, Nicaragua|San Carlos]], [[Nicaragua]], since 1988 * {{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine|Zaporizhia]], [[Ukraine]], since 1983 * {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Tampere]], [[Finland]], since 1995 ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==References== *Kimberley Cornish: ''The Jew of Linz'', 1998. ISBN 0-7126-7935-9 *Satchell, Tim. ''Astaire, The Biography.'' Hutchinson, London. 1987. ISBN 0-09-173736-2 ==See also== *[[List of mayors of Linz]] ==External links== {{commonscat|Linz}} * {{wikitravel}} * LinzGenesis and Museum of the History of Dentistry in Upper Austria [http://www.nordico.at/genesis/genesis.html] * StifterHaus [http://www.stifterhaus.at/] * Landesgalerie (Provincial gallery) [http://www.landesgalerie.at/] * Nordico - Museum of the City of Linz [http://www.nordico.at/] * The O.K Center for Contemporary Art [http://www.ok-centrum.at] * [http://www.linz.at/ Linz web site] {{de icon}} * [http://www.linz1.at/ Linz] Picture tour through Linz * [http://www.linz.at/zahlen/010%5FStadtgebiet/ Data about the city] {{de icon}} * [http://www.foto360.at/poestlingberg,166#viewer 360° Panoramic Photos from Linz] * [http://www.khs-linz.ac.at University of Arts and Industrial Design Linz] * [http://www.bruckneruni.at Anton Bruckner Private University for Music, Drama, and Dance] {{de icon}} * [http://www.ktu-linz.ac.at Catholic-Theological Private University Linz] {{de icon}} * [http://www.linz09.at Official homepage of Linz &mdash; The Capital of Culture 2009] * [http://www.linz09.info/ec Independent Platform of Linz &mdash; European Capital of Culture 2009] * [http://www.auhof.eduhi.at/lisa/index.html LISA &mdash; Linz International School Auhof] * [http://www.aec.at Ars Electronica Centre] * [http://www.lentos.at Lentos Art Museum] * [http://www.brucknerhaus.at Brucknerhaus concert hall] {{European Capital of Culture}} {{Danube}} {{Upper Austria}} [[Category:Cities and towns in Upper Austria]] [[Category:Cities on the Danube]] [[Category:Linz| ]] [[bar:Linz]] [[br:Linz]] [[bg:Линц]] [[ca:Linz]] [[cs:Linec]] [[da:Linz]] [[de:Linz]] [[et:Linz]] [[el:Λιντς]] [[es:Linz]] [[eo:Linz]] [[fa:لینتز]] [[fr:Linz (Autriche)]] [[gl:Linz]] [[hr:Linz]] [[id:Linz]] [[is:Linz]] [[it:Linz]] [[he:לינץ]] [[jv:Linz]] [[la:Lentia]] [[lv:Linca]] [[lb:Linz]] [[lt:Lincas]] [[hu:Linz]] [[nl:Linz]] [[ja:リンツ]] [[no:Linz]] [[pl:Linz]] [[pt:Linz]] [[ro:Linz]] [[qu:Linz]] [[ru:Линц]] [[simple:Linz]] [[sk:Linec]] [[sl:Linz]] [[sr:Линц]] [[fi:Linz]] [[sv:Linz]] [[tr:Linz]] [[uk:Лінц]] [[vec:Linz]] [[vo:Linz]] [[zh:林茨]]