Linz
Linz, the provincial capital of Upper Austria, is the third largest city in the country after Vienna and Graz. It is located 187km (116 miles) northwest of Vienna; 130km (81 miles) northeast of Salzburg; and 269km (167 miles) east of Munich. Linz is the biggest port on the Danube River, which widens considerably here to become a majestic thoroughfare.
Linz was the site of a Roman castle and settlement, Lentia, in the 1st century A.D. By the Middle Ages it had become a thriving center of trade because of its position on the river. Emperor Friedrich III lived here from 1489 to 1493. The industrial capacity of Linz was rapidly built up after Hitler seized Austria in 1938, and the Nazis later established chemical plants here. Unfortunately, Linz's industrial boom made it a frequent target of Allied bombing; it took years to repair the destruction rained upon the city.
Linz today is one of the leading cultural centers of Austria, although it doesn't rival Vienna or Salzburg. Many notable figures have been connected with Linz, including native son and composer Anton Bruckner. Mozart dedicated a symphony to the city, and Beethoven wrote his Eighth Symphony here. Linz is home to the oldest church in Austria, the Church of St. Martin, which dates from the 700s AD.
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