For: Linz am Rhein For: Land Information New Zealand

Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria ( ). It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately 30 km south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is 189,343 (2007), and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is 271,000.

History

The association of the city with Hitler's childhood warranted an allusion in a poem by W.H. Auden, September 1, 1939: "Accurate scholarship can/Unearth the whole offense/ From Luther until now/ That has driven a culture mad, Find what occured at Linz...."

To the end of his life, Hitler considered Linz to be his "home town", and envisioned extensive architectural schemes for it, wanting it to become the main cultural centre of the Third Reich. In order to make the city economically vibrant, Hitler initiated a major industrialization of Linz shortly before, and during, World War II. Many factories were dismantled in the newly-acquired Czechoslovakia and then reassembled in Linz, including the Hermann-Göring-Werke (now voestalpine). In addition to an ordnance depot, Linz has a benzol (oil)1 plant which was bombed during the Oil Campaign on October 16, 1944.

The Mauthausen-Gusen, located near Linz, were the last Nazi concentration camps to be liberated by the Allies. While in operation, they were the source of quarrying for stone for Hitler's prestige projects across the Reich. The main camp in Mauthausen is just 15.6 miles (25km) away from Linz.

After the war, the river Danube that runs through Linz — from the western side to the south-eastern side — which separates the Urfahr district in the north from the rest of Linz — served as the border between the Russian and American occupation troops. The Nibelungen bridge that spans the Danube river from the Hauptplatz (main square) was at that time Linz's version of Checkpoint Charlie. The Nibelungen Brücke with the two bridge head buildings is the only architectural plan Hitler ever carried out in Linz.

The agglomeration includes (parts of) 13 other municipalities with together 271,000 inhabitants. Linz is also part of the Linz-Wels-Steyr metropolitan area of Upper Austria, home to around one third of the state's population (460,000 people) and second-largest urban area in Austria.

Districts

Linz is divided into 9 districts and 36 statistical quarters. They are:

1. Innenstadt: Altstadtviertel, Rathausviertel, Kaplanhofviertel, Neustadtviertel, Volksgartenviertel, Römerberg-Margarethen
2. Waldegg: Freinberg, Froschberg, Keferfeld, Bindermichl, Spallerhof, Wankmüllerhofviertel, Andreas-Hofer-Platz-Viertel
3. Lustenau: Makartviertel, Franckviertel, Hafenviertel
4. St. Peter
5. Kleinmünchen: Kleinmünchen, Neue Welt, Scharlinz, Bergern, Neue Heimat, Wegscheid, Schörgenhub
6. Ebelsberg
7. Urfahr: Alt-Urfahr, Heilham, Hartmayrsiedlung, Harbachsiedlung, Karlhofsiedlung, Auberg
8. Pöstlingberg:Pöstlingberg, Bachl-Gründberg
9. St. Magdalena: St. Magdalena, Katzbach, Elmberg