Linz : Austria’s Third Largest City with Daring Art and Cyber Displays

Linz is Austria’s prime technological hub, beautifully developed on both sides of River Danube. It prominently features public art displays, modern galleries, and technological installations. The city also offers a lot of ways to learn about the city’s history, which is also of great impact to the continent of Europe. Below are some of the places worth sightseeing and touring in Linz:

1. Schlossmuseum Linz

Photo byBertl123/shutterstock.com

This is a fortress developed in the ninth century. An excellent sightseeing place lying dominantly next to River Danube. The museum hosts artifacts spanning long periods from the unrecorded prehistoric times, from the Middle Ages to the Roman period. It also gives a great history of war as various ancient armor is located here. The four-floor museum also has sections showcasing geological changes and photography. Atop the museum is a good place to sightsee, with breathtaking views of Danube River. The deco in the museum is beautiful housing fine furniture, utensils, glassware, and art. Entrance into the museum is free for individuals over sixty years.

2. Ars Electronica Centre

Photo byRenate Dodell

Located in the heart of the city is a museum that seems more like a gift from the future. Museums are display centers for the past events but this offers to sneak peeks into future technology. Some of the displays are supplemented with virtual and artificial reality equipment, giving semi-real experiences. The city also plays host to various technological events on animation, web design, computer music and interactive art. The evening visitors and passersby get an awesome sightseeing, picture worthy opportunity as the exterior of the building is lit with great pomp and color.

3. Lentos Art Museum

The Lentos art museum is also another place to get educational and historical information on Linz’s history. Artwork as old as the nineteenth century as well as Greek and Roman pieces. Works by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele are found here. Photographs, sculptures, and sketches from the Expressionist and post world war periods are also found here. The exterior is lit with brilliant colors at night, making the spot across Danube river great places for sightseeing. The upper floors of the museum are also great ways to see Linz’s key river, the Danube.

4. Landestheater Linz

Photo byVolker Kannacher

Away from the usual sightseeing and touring, Landestheater is another place to hang out. It is a theatre offering great viewing and sound experiences for operas, plays, and selected movies. At the back of each seat is a screen that displays subtitles to the items on stage, eliminating language barriers. The seats are comfortable and offer clear views of the stage, regardless of the distance from the stage. Refreshments can be ordered from the seats and picked up during intermissions with ease. The theatre is not far from the city center, just a five-minute tram ride.

5. Linz Botanical Gardens

The Linz Botanical Garden is located within the city, as if it is meant to be a competitor of sightseeing places beyond the city’s boundaries. The garden is a habitat for approximately ten thousand plant species which are grown and maintained in greenhouses and flowerbeds with amazing topiary. Rare and exotic specimens can also be found here. Within the garden is a frog center displaying various breeds of frogs in their amphibious environment. Entrance rates charged to the gardens is inexpensive, costing only three euros, making it a price friendly experience.

6. Wilhering Abbey

Photo byMoToMo

The Wilhering Abbey is found on the edge of Danube River. It offers a glimpse of Linz ancient city life as it is remains of the town, as old as the twelfth century. It also houses a church with decorated plaster and Rococo interiors. The choir stalls are mint thanks to the hardwood used. The art displays here are impressive: from stained glass windows to sculpture gardens and an organ gallery simulating angels playing them. The gallery is also home to paintings by Fritz Froehlich.

7. voestalpine Stahl GmbH

The city of Linz has a deep historical base with industrialization’s most important metal, steel. Voestalpine AG, the city's main steel company, therefore, came up with a steel center. At this center is a life-size remake of a blast furnace where visitors can take an inside look. Within the blast furnace, are book guides and video displays showing how steel is manufactured, from its extraction point to the final product. The display is made more eye-catching by chrome plated spheres erected at great heights, displaying the many uses of steel.

8. Pöstlingbergbahn

This is a tram system that offers great opportunities for one to crash course on the city through a tram ride. In just twenty minutes, one can sightsee and get to know some of the city’s major streets. The ride begins at Hauptplatz, mounts the local Postlingberg mountain to the Hartlawer gallery. The ride is accessible for the disabled. At Grottenbahn, is the fantasy land of fairy tales and ghosts. The tram ride also goes through a zoological garden.

9. The Mariendom

The Mariendom is one of the city’s high capacity churches, accommodating close to twenty thousand faithfuls. Built over sixty years, until its completion in 1924, the church is an artsy site. The spire stretches deep into the skyline, and within it is a platform great for sightseeing opportunities. There is a gallery, in the inner sanctums with arts from the modern middle age periods. Etched for eternity is the history of Linz and the sponsors of the church on the stained glass windows.

10. Linzer Landhaus

This is a Renaissance style building laid over an expansive stretch of land. It has three courtyards to complement its spacious outlook. A planetary water fountain that shoots into the sky with some musical synchrony is on one of the courtyards. The windows and the entrance lobby are arched giving way to a magnificent tower that offers good photography opportunities. The floor design is one of the most original parquet designs giving it a classical feel. The Linzer Landhaus is one of the city’s pride places.

◎ Closing

Linz city has a rich historical background but at the same time shows a future that embraces technology closer and closer by the day. Danube River which splits the city into two is blessed with various beautiful and remarkable places for sightseeing and tours that will make the visit worthwhile.