Linz Castle

The “Linze Castle” and St. Martin’s Church were first mentioned in a deed of donation dating from the time of Charlemagne in 799.

The great city fire of 1800 destroyed the south wing, which was rebuilt in a modern steel-and-glass architectural style and reopened during the 2009 Capital of Culture year. This is where the Palace Museum is located—Austria’s largest general-interest museum housed in a single location.

A deed of gift dating from 799, during the reign of Charlemagne, contains the fi rst mention of the “Castle in Linze” and the church of St. Martin. Today, the visitor can see the walls of this castle, together with its bastions and the Friedrich Gate bearing the text A.E.I.O.U. (Alles Erdreich ist Österreichs untertan – All the earth pays tribute to Austria), named after Emperor Friedrich III, who resided here until his death in 1493.

The south wing was destroyed in the City Fire of 1800, and was rebuilt in modern glassand-steel architecture for the Capital of Culture year 2009. It now constitute the largest universal museum in Austria. The wings of Linz Castle contain the history of culture collections of the Upper Austrian Provincial Museum. The permanent exhibitions present a walk through the artistic and cultural history of Upper Austria from the Neolithic Age up to the 20th century. The new South Wing contains the permanent exhibitions on nature and technology in Upper Austria.

There is a continuous programme of special exhibitions.