Les meilleurs hôtels à Linz

The Danube River port city of Linz is one of Austria's most bustling industrial cities, with major steel, iron and chemical companies operating in the busy Upper Austrian capital city of 200,000. Despite its modern, factory-based economy, the city remains a mix of old and new, its skylinedotted with a mix of belching smokestacks and ancient spires. The Danube, which flows through the city, serves as a dividing line between the modern city and its old soul. On the south bank, Old Town remains a popular tourist destination, with castles, churches and early buildings fanning out from the central Hauptplatz, Austria's largest Medieval town square. South bank highlights include the Mozarthaus (the Thun Palace), where a visiting Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his famed "Linz" symphony in 1783. The Neuer Dom (New Cathedral), a neo-gothic church built in 1855, also gets a rise out of visitors, with its 131 metre spire, the nation's second tallest. The Alter Dom (Old Cathedral) still stands as well, a fine example of 17th century Baroque architecture, where composer Anton Bruckner spent 12 years as the church organist. An organ of a different kind brings another Linz church fame: the Parish Church houses a tomb holding the heart of Frederich III, who named Linz the regional capital in 1490. The provincial government does its business at the old Landhaus, built between 1564 and 1571. Frederich's home, the Linz Castle, which he rebuilt around 1477 at the site of an earlier fortress dating to 799, is also an easy walk from the plaza. As do many such castles, the Linz Castle now houses a museum, this one devoted to regional history from the Bronze era to the 19th century. Among the major exhibits are those focused on the Roman era, for Linz was born as a Roman camp called Lentia. Exhibits of a decidedly more modern focus come alive every year at the annual ARS Electronica Festival, a high-tech arts event that draws visitors from around the world. And leading the tech pack year-round are Linz's higher learning institutions, notably the Johannes Kepler University (named for the astronomer who taught in Linz for 14 years) and the University of Linz, as well as the University of Art and Industrial Design.