Linz

Linz is the capital city of Upper Austria and the third largest city in Austria. The southern parts of the city border the wetlands of the Danube River and the plain where the Traun flows into the Danube. On the west, north and east Linz is surrounded by wonderful hills. The city itself boasts countless Baroque buildings, as well as large industrial areas. Linz was the childhood home of Adolf Hitler, but for obvious reasons that fact is kept quiet by the Linz tourist office.

The heart of the city is the rectangular expanse of the Hauptplatz or main square. Marvelous buildings with pastel-colored façades surround the Hauptplatz. At the center of the square is the Trinity Column, crowned by a gilded sunburst. To the southeast of the square is the 17th-century, pea-green Alter Dom. Around the corner, to the north is the Pfarrkirche, which holds a gargantuan marble slab that contains Emperor Friedrich III's heart. The Emperor himself was buried in Vienna's Stephansdom. West of the Hauptplatz is a pedestrianized quarter, where you will find numerous Baroque houses. Walking uphill from there, you'll come to the 15th-century Schloss (castle), which was the former residence of Emperor Friedrich III. During his reign, Linz became the imperial capital from 1489 to 1493. The castle offers nice views over the Danube River and includes a museum, where you can see medieval weaponry, musical instruments and folk art, as well as works by Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka and exquisite late 19th century glassware and accessories.

There are several more museums to the east of the Hauptplatz. The Stadtmuseum Nordico, at Bethlehemstrasse 7, hosts modern art exhibitions and contains a model of Linz anno 1740, while the Landesmuseum on Museumstrasse 14 has temporary exhibitions of Austrian art history and natural history.

The Ars Electronica Center in the suburb of Urfahr, on the north bank of the Danube River, is a museum dedicated to new technology. Even for people who are not familiar with computers this place is fun. You can play with various pieces of state-of-the-art computer equipment and the museum includes a virtual reality room, known as the 'cave'. It has 3D projections on three walls and the floor. It is extremely popular and you'll have to get there early to be able to book a ticket for it. There is no extra charge. The Lentia 2000 shopping center is also in Urfahr, on Blütenstrasse. On its first floor it houses the Neue Galerie, which has a small, permanent collection of modern art, including a few works by Klimt, Kokoschka and Schiele, amongst others. The Pöstlingbergbahn, a narrow-gauge railway which climbs to the 18th-century pilgrimage church of Pöstlingberg, is also in Urfahr. The church offers excellent views over the valley. The trains run every 20 minutes and leave from the end Linz's #3 tram line.

There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Linz. The city is 155 km west of Wien (Vienna) and served by air, rail and road.