I didn’t know what to expect from Linz before I arrived, although I could guess from its many accolades that the creative arts scene was at the very core of its identity. A city proud to describe itself as future-orientated, Austria’s third largest city has transformed over the decades by continuously embracing change.
Linz is known for its 17th Century Old Town quaintness and wealthy steel industry status – a Danube river city whose artistic revival was first ignited in darker days, when Hitler wanted to restructure and use it as a core European base and rebuild as the main cultural centre of the Third Reich.
Now a designated European Capital of Culture (2009) and a UNESCO Media Arts City, Linz has grown to become home to educational institutions and research facilities involved in the development and understanding of media art and digital culture, and has established itself as a European centre for social innovation and artistic enterprise.
As a visitor, I quickly saw beyond the pastel hues (which come to define aged Austrian towns), that Linz sets out to showcase the best of itself visually and creatively. In three days I was able to indulge in the multi-layers of artistic flair here, where contemporary arts seamlessly blend with the city’s historical structures, dispersing amongst them cultural hubs, funky hangouts and artistic business ventures.
Linz doesn’t forget its history and nor it is overlooked. On one side of the Danube River is the historical railway line that takes you to the fairy tale castle up on the P?stlingberg Mountain; on the other the preserved minty greens, soft blues, butter yellows and delicate pink facades of the Old Town. They are simply some of the lovingly restored showpieces incorporated within the city’s contemporary expansion.
Its riverside green spaces are filled with independent enterprise such as the red van ‘pay as you like cafe’ and crazy golf hangout by the river and Salonschiff Fr?ulein Florentine gastropub on a boat.
It’s along the banks that I visited the bold-edged glass structures housing two of the city’s core arts centres – the visual media and technology focused Ars Electronica Centre, which focuses on digital issues of the future (and whose ‘FutureLab’ research unit is a worldwide top 10 media laboratory), and the modern art collection that fills the Lentos Kunstmuseum.
The Old Town, whilst retaining character in its residential floors, small stores, traditional culinary outlets and the Jindrak café serving the infamous ‘Linzer Torte’, is filled with hipster-cool coffee shops like Friedlieb und T?chter serving up avocado toast breakfasts and international coffees. Boutique outlets reside here away from the more modern high streets.
Theatre costume guided tours often bring the old streets and their stories to life via theatre and drama and even the Town Hall has brushed off a typical stuffy civil structure by becoming an exhibition space showcasing Linz from above. A giant aerial city view of Linz is displayed on the floor in one of the large ground floor rooms.
The South Wing of the Linzer Schloss (castle), which burnt down in 1800, is replaced by a modern architectural construction, and is home to the Schlossmuseum documenting the early history of Linz. Even the biggest church in Austria, the Mariendom in the very heart of Linz city, features stain glass windows displaying modern-art designs.
My favourite space of all – the H?henrausch – in the repurposed space known as the O? Kulturquartier, incorporates over 30 indoor, outdoor and rooftop artworks with great views across the city, even to the point of incorporating an artwork onto the front of the Ursulinen Church (the current exhibition theme is ‘a(chǎn)ngels’).
The wooden tower, erected amongst it all, allows you the most artistic view of all – Linz in a 360 panorama, and the perfect display of its many layers of old and new.
Industrial heritage has been given a makeover by creative minds and hands, where urban development can be found all along the Danube, such as Tabakfabrik – a former tobacco factory turned hub for makers and designers, and soon-to-be home to an international research centre for media and performance arts (Valie Export Centre).
A boat trip on the Linz Harbour eventually takes you out to the commercial port, which has been transformed into a giant street art space. While you can’t get off here for a closer look, the boat allows access to the art mural wall, which has become one of the world’s largest outdoor galleries.
Various murals adorn the industrial buildings, with works from international creatives, including Spanish street artist ARYZ whose artwork – the biggest of them all – has come to symbolise this area’s transformation. During the outdoor event known as Bubble Days, street and graffiti artists are invited to come and decorate the area, expanding Linz’s international arts platform.
My trip to Linz was a part of the #roundtripAustria project involving five blogs covering various cities, regions and activities all over Austria. Read about the city of Graz tomorrow on Inside the Travel Lab – the next story in the series. You can also read more on #roundtripAustria from Time Travel Turtle, Global Grasshopper and LiveShareTravel, by the end of the July.
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