Linz Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Linz

The Romans called it Lentia. It was, from its founding, a Roman city. Straddling the River Danube, it connected vital trading routes to Poland, Bohemia and Italy.

In 799 Count Gerald, Prefect of Ostland and Charlemagne's brother-in-law, obtained tenure of Saint Martin's Church with its fortified "castrum." The location is described for the first time as "Linz." In the Carolingan period, Linz was a market and customs center mentioned in the Customs Book of Raffelstetten of 903.

By the 12th century the town under the Castle was transferred from the Lords of Haunsberg to the Babenbergs. In 1205 AD, under the rule of Duke Leopold VI, the Main Square became the city center. Linz had evolved into a city by 1242.

The city became the last refuge of declining Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich III in 1489. He made his last residence in the Castle Linz. He died in 1493. While he lived, the city was named "capital of the Duchy of Austria upstream of the Enns."

French and Bavarian troops occupied the city during the war of the Austrian succession in 1741. Austrian forces eventually drove them out but not before causing a disastrous fire. A repeat catastrophe occurred in the Napoleonic wars.

Industrialization transformed the city by the end of the nineteenth century. A new Cathedral had been built, and an electric tramway was operating. The city was the home town of a notorious figure in history named Adolf Hitler. World War II brought devastating air raids.

In the post war period Linz had become a city of learning and culture. Johannes Kepler University was founded in 1966, the Fine Arts Academy in 1973. The Arts Electronics Center appeared in 1996 and the Lentos Art Museum in 2003. In 2009 Linz was selected as the European capital of culture.

There is much to see in Linz. The restored Castle of Linz and Saint Martin's Church, the Main Square with its towering Holy Trinity column. The early Baroque Town Hall, the New Cathedral and the 16th century Country House patiently await a visit.

Ride the Narrow-Gauge Railway to the top of the hill. Enjoy the incomparable views. Eat a Linzer torte. Come, see and enjoy.