The capital of Upper Austria, Linz is situated by the river Danube, between rolling hills at its North and the plains of “Alpenvorland” (“the land in front of the alps”) at its South. The city not only is an industrial and cultural center, but it is also home  to three univer-sities, the largest being Johannes-Kepler-University. This year Linz is proud of having been selected as European 2009 Cultural Capital together with Vilnius in Lithuania.
Embrace its rich history, its vibrant cultural scene and welcoming atmosphere and make  sure you taste the famous “Linzertorte”. Herzlich willkommen in Linz!

Facts

Population

190’000

Official Website

www.linz.at

History

Linz was first mentioned in a document from 799 A. D. together with its oldest building, the Romanic “Martins Church”. Until the 20th century the city was a regional capital with small and medium sized businesses. Linz grew rapidly in the second half of the 20th cen-tury thanks to its role of center of heavy industries.
More than two decades ago the city switched from industry to culture and improved its quality of life. These efforts culminated with Linz being chosen as European Cultural Capi-tal 2009.

Basics

Public Transport

Three different tickets are available: Mini: Valid for up to 4 stops - € 0,80, Midi: Valid for one long distance trip – € 1,70, Maxi: Valid for one day - € 3,40.
The Public Transportation system is quite simple – there are only three tram lines: 1,2,3. They all go to the city center and back to the main train station. Take tram No.1 or No.2 direction “Universität” or a No.3 direction “Landgutstraße”.

Taxi

Tel. +43 732 6969

Trains

www.oebb.at

Airport

www.flughafen-linz.at

Hospitals

Call 144 (ambulance) or 112 (EU emergency hotline) in case of emergency from any phone. They both are toll free numbers.
The closest hospital from the train station is “Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder” in Seilerstätte 2. Go to tram stop Mozartstraße, turn West to Mozartstraße (towards the cathedral) and walk for about 100m. Turn left into Seilerstätte.

Internet

Supermarket

In the main station (underground level) you can find a SPAR grocery store.

Monuments

Ars Electronica Center: Recently restructrured museum of electronic art - offers great hands-on experience.
Tram stop “Rudolfstraße” – walk towards the Danube on the left side of the big street.
Lentos: Museum for modern art. Impressing architecture alongside the Danube combined with world famous modern art.
Tram stop “Hauptplatz” (“main square”) – walk towards the Danube, turn right before the bridge.
Linz Genesis: Small, but very informative museum about the history of Linz. Free of charge!
Tram stop “Hauptplatz” (“main square”) – walk towards the pink and white building that houses the Tourist Information. In the back of the building you will find the museum.

Shopping

Take the tram to “Bürgerstraße”, get off and walk towards the Danube on Hauptstraße. This is the center of Linz where you can find everything shopaholics crave for.

Nightlife

Everything is centered around the area Mozartstraße, Taubenmarkt, Hauptplatz. Try “Rox” (Graben 18, Tram stop “Taubenmarkt”) or all the bars in the Old Town (West of “Hauptplatz”, Hofgasse – Alter Markt).