Making life a holiday with interesting vacation and adventure ideas.

There have been many distractions this year and the series of posts tracing the Donau from its source to the Black Sea has been on hold for months. In our last post we left the town of Passau and this post explores the ancient city of Linz. Like many towns along the Danube (Donau), it started life as a Celtic settlement and was then developed by the Romans for its strategic importance, situated as it is on a bend in the river.

Linz became the capital of Upper Austria and an important commercial centre, located on the old Salt Road. It is still the second largest city in Austria and has an international airport, the largest port on the Danube and is on the Westbahn, the railway linking Austria and Germany.

Well known residents of Linz include Kepler the great astronomer and mathematician, the composer Bruckner and Adolf Hitler's parents.

Another famous composer who spent time in Linz was Mozart, who wrote the "Linz Sonata" KV 333 and in 1783, wrote his Symphony No. 36 in C major, K. 425, (known as the Linz Symphony).

During 2006 there are a number of special concerts to celebrate the 250th birthday of Mozart, including his Requiem which will be performed in the Old Cathedral on 5 December, 2006.
Today, there is a vibrant music and arts scene in Linz, which has been named a European city of culture in 2009.

Amongst other festivals, Linz hosts the annual Bruckner Festival and the Ars Electronica, which is named after the museum, showcasing technology and contemporary electronic art.
This year, the Ars Electronica Festival takes place August 31 - September 5, 2006 and the Bruckner festival, September 10 - 30, 2006.

There are many opportunities for sport in the region, including of course, cycling and walking. Linz is on the Danube Cycle Path and there are approximately 200 kilometres of bicycle routes through the city.

The tourist information office provide two great webcams which are worth a look at:
Webcam from the top of the Ars Electronica Center.
Webcam from the southern side of the Danube