2001 - 2007

At the beginning of the 21st century industry, culture and nature are all valued highly in Linz.
Cultural initiatives such as the construction of the Lentos Museum of Modern Art, the Opera House at Blumau, the expansion of existing cultural institutions such as the Ars Electronica Center and the Castle Museum, as well as whole new concepts such as the Tower of Knowledge including an adult education center and the city library underline the increasing significance of Linz as a city of culture.
In 2009, Linz will become European Capital of Culture together with Vilnius (Lithuania).

1st March 2007
Ground breaking ceremony for the AEC expansion

The ground breaking ceremony marks the start of the expansion of the Ars Electronica Center. It will gain an extra 4000 square meters of space by 2009, the year Linz is European Capital of Culture. During the extensive construction works the Museum of the Future will move to a location in the center of Linz.

ground breaking ceremony AEC expansion

January/February 2007
Butterfly and Orchid exhibition

The tropical greenhouse of the Botanical Gardens presents a butterfly and orchid exhibition. The colourful display attracts countless visitors year after year.

orchids

6th August 2006
100th anniversary of the Grottenbahn

The dwarf kingdom of the Grottenbahn on the Pöstlingberg opened on the 6th August 2006 in one of the defensive towers built by Maximilian. The first major renovation works were carried out in 1936, when the painter Ludwig Haase redesigned the underground area. The Grottenbahn was destroyed in 1945 in an air raid, but the ground floor section including the dragon train reopened in 1948. The underground fairy tale area reopened in 1950. Sculpture Konrad Feichtinger will design new dwarves as 'backup' for the existing 105 dwarves to commemorate the anniversary.

Grotto Railway

5th May 2006
Most environmentally friendly municipality
The city of Linz was named 'most environmentally friendly municipality in Austria'. More than 100 municipalities from all provinces entered the Society for nature Conservation's competition 'Nature at your front door'. The city of Linz impressed with its activities in supporting urban farming, protection of species, and outstanding achievement in the field of stream renaturation.

Linz is Austria's most environmentally friendly municipality

April 2006
Opera House

The decision is taken to build a new opera house in Linz. Of the three designs taken into final consideration, the jury chose the „Theatre by the Park“, a project by the architect Terry Powson of London. The deciding criteria were workability, architectural quality and urban value. The costs of the winning project, which includes an underground car park and a new traffic solution for the area around Blumau, were estimated at approximately 143 million Euros. A completion deadline was not set, although the theatre was certain not to be finished by 2009, Linz's year as cultural capital of Europe.

Opera House

23rd March 2006
Expansion of the AEC

The decision was taken to expand the AEC. The Museum of the Future is to receive adequate exhibition space and be expanded into the Ars Electronica Future Park by 2009, the year when Linz will become European Capital of Culture. Of the 38 entries to the EU-wide competition the jury selected the project submitted by Treusch architecture of Vienna. The main thought behind these plans is to expand in the form of a sculptured building. The point being that this is a sculpture you can enter and so experience. The crystalline form of the steel and glass construction becomes one with its surroundings and simultaneously becomes an architectural landmark in the city. Construction is due to begin at the end of 2006, completion is anticipated in the third quarter of 2008.

AEC expansion, model

6th March 2006
Deputy Provincial Governor Rupert Hartl dies

Dr. Rupert Hartl, former Deputy Provincial Governor and recipient of the honorary ring of the City of Linz, died on Monday, 6th March at the age of 84.

Rupert Hartl was born in Reichenau on the 2nd April 1921. He attended the Kollegium Petrinum grammar school, and graduated from the Linz state grammar school on Spittelwiese. After his war service and spending time in captivity he studied law in Graz and Innsbruck and was awarded his doctorate in February 1948. He began a career as a judge and rose to the position of senate president of the Provincial Appeals Court in Linz.

Hartl entered politics via his activities as a trade unionist. In 1967 he was elected to first president of the Upper Austrian Provincial Assembly. Hartl was involved at the centre of the reform of the Upper Austrian constitution in this capacity. Two years later he joined the provincial government and took on the social security and health portfolios. The completion of the Upper Austrian plan for health institutions, the Upper Austrian plan for the elderly and the Upper Austrian social support bill during his time in charge of social security were trend setting for social and health policies for the whole of Austria.

Between 1974 and 1982 Dr. Hartl was Deputy Provincial Governor and responsible for local government. Having been provincial head of the Austrian Socialdemocratic Party for many years, he retired in 1982.

Dr. Rupert Hartl

5th March 2006
Record breaking winter

Meteorologically speaking, spring has already begun. Yet this weekend brought record amounts of snow. 25 cm of snow fell in the centre of Linz on Saturday night alone, a larger amount than has been seen in years. Many house owners are again concerned, for roofs had already had to bear heavy loads of snow in January and February.

The roof of the Intersport Arena beside the Linz Stadium had to be shovelled clear, too. More than twice the amount of salt has been spread on the West, Mühlkreis and Linz motorways than in previous years. In the area around Ansfelden more than 3000 tons were spread on the asphalt. 15 spreading vehicles were constantly in use between 10pm Saturday night and 3pm Sunday.
Meteorologists predict temperatures to rise significantly by the middle of March at the earliest.

Main Square in winter

End of January 2006
Arena Square redesigned

The 4000 square metre area between the Ursulinenhof and the O.K. Center for Contemporary Art is to make place for a building several stories high. According to plans by the architect Peter Riepl, the area of the square will be reduced by a third and paved in coloured tiles. In the Ursulinenhof, the foyer will be extended, with a view onto the square. The new building will
house office space and at least two restaurants. In addition, an extra 160 seat 'Moviemento' screen directly connecting to the O.K. Is planned.

Arena square

20th January 2006
Ground-breaking ceremony for the retirement home Franz Hillinger

The ceremony marks the start of work on the redevelopment of the Franz Hillinger retirement home. A new building with over 120 care places and ten short-term care places will be constructed on the site  of the old Hillinger home, to plans by the Linz architect Herbert Karrer. This will significantly improve the quality of care and support in Urfahr.
The planned completion date is 2008.

Ground-breaking ceremony

16th January 2006
Linz Castle

The south wing of the Linz Castle was completely destroyed by fire in 1800. After many deliberations over the past decades, the Upper Austrian provincial government today decides to rebuild the south wing. This will create a space in which to house the Upper Austrian provincial museums' scientific collections, and the collections concerning the history of technology. In addition, a function room is planned including a restaurant overlooking the roofs of Linz.

Linz Castle south view

1st January 2006
The municipal retirement centres had been made independent in the form of a limited public utility company back in May 2005 by the Linz City Council. This outsourcing  came into force on 1st January 2006, with the care facilities remaining the sole property of the City of Linz.

28th November 2005
Ground-breaking ceremony for flood defences

The ground-breaking ceremony officially launches construction on the mobile flood protection dam in Alt-Urfahr West. The mobile dam will be built upstream starting at Nibelungen Bridge. First of all, an 80 cm high wall will be built as a foundation, upon which up to 4,000 mobile units can be placed, building a watertight wall. The mobile dam will be available as soon as May next year. Four high performance pumps will also be built, to be operational by 2007, in order to pump out water flowing from the hinterland as well as ground water seeping through.

18th November 2005
LILO connected to Linz Main Station

All trains of the Linz Local Railway (LILO) have the Main Station as their terminal, with immediate effect. This concludes the upgrade of the Main Station into a local transport hub.

The old local railway station will be demolished by the middle of 2006 and the remaining tracks taken up.

LILO

9th November 2005
Roof-raising for the Tower of Knowledge.

Construction on the 63 metre high Tower of Knowledge reaches the roof section, after building started in February 2005. The distinctive building opposite the Main Station will combine the headquarters of the City Libraries and the Adult Education Centre under one roof.

17th Oktober 2005
Dr. Erwin Wenzl dies.

In the early hours of 17th October former Governor and bearer of the Honorary Ring of the City of Linz, Dr. Erwin Wenzl, dies aged 84. Erwin Wenzl began his political career in 1952 as regional party secretary of the ÖVP. Three years later he became a member of the Upper Austrian provincial government and succeeded Heinrich Gleißner as Governor in 1971. He retired from this post in 1977 and became a director of OKA. He retired in 1989 after 13 years as Chairman of the energy company.

Dr. Erwin Wenzl

October 2005
New Advanced Technical College goes into use.

At the start of the winter semester 2005/06, 650 students start their courses at the new Advanced Technical College on Garnisonstraße.

5200 square metres of lecture theatres, seminar rooms, modern labs and a library are available to those courses offered in Linz: social work, social management, social services for people needing care, administration management and medical technology.

The Linz Advanced Technical College is ideally placed near the Linz General Hospital, the new Accident Hospital and the gespag Mother&Child Centre, and is therefore especially suited to the further development in the "Health and Social Welfare" field.

Advanced Technical College

28th September 2005
Award for Linz administration

The 7th Speyer Quality Competition recognises the project of the municipal IT service  submitted in the category "Quality in Administration". The subject matter of the city's entry was the integrated use of new public management instruments in the field of internal municipal IT services. This award follows on from the prize the municipality received for its administrative modernisation in 1996.

20th September 2005
Simon Wiesenthal dies

Simon Wiesenthal dies in Vienna at the age of 96. Wiesenthal's research activities and significant contribution to processing the historical events surrounding the Holocaust began in Linz. Simon Wiesenthal received numerous awards for this work, including the Honorary Ring of the City of Linz on 29th May 1995.


In solarCity, 43 town houses of the WSG are handed over to the inhabitants . This concludes the construction of housing in solarCity, totalling 1300 housing units.

Simon Wiesenthal

3rd September 2005
Klangwolke 2005 - Teilung am Fluss (Division at the river)

The visualised Linz Klangwolke 2005 reflects three anniversaries: 60 years since the Second Republic, 50 years since the State Treaty and 10 years of EU membership. Titled "Teilung am Fluss", the artist group lweine torrèn, led by director and choreographer Hubert Lepka, present a "history fiction": what would have happened, had the State Treaty not been signed, resulting in a divided Austria and a divided Linz as well?

On the one hand, "Teilung am Fluss" portrays the fate of two people divided by river and politics, on the other hand takes the form of a new station reporting and commenting. Live pictures, pre-recorded scenes and historical archive material are skilfully interwoven. Peter Valentin provides the music, inspired by signature tunes from radio and television, hymns and hits.

2nd September 2005
solarCity is connected to the tram network.

The extension of the tram line 2 to solarCity is completed three months ahead of  schedule.

The 2.3 km route leads from the previous terminal Hillerstraße along Traundorfer Straße via the Mona-Lisa tunnel to the tracks of the Westbahn. Here the No. 2 is connected to Ebelsberg station.

1st September 2005
The network of city hotspots for free wireless internet access, currently comprised of 16 locations, is opened as part of the Ars Electronica festival. This project, unique in Austria, plans to extend the service to 37 locations by the end of 2005, and 120 locations by the end of 2008.

15th July 2005
Director for the Capital of Culture 2009

The two directors for the large-scale cultural project "Linz – European Capital of Culture" are introduced in a press conference. From September 2005 onwards Swiss-born Martin Heller (Artistic Director) and Linz's Walter Putschögl (Commercial Director)  will head Linz 2009 – Kulturhauptstadt Europas Organisations GmbH.

W. Putschögl (left), M. Heller

28th April 2005
Lenauparkcity opens

The opening of the commercial and service centre Lenauparkcity concludes the city development project, which was launched in 2001. The former site of voestalpine steel trading betweenLastenstraße, Rilkestraße, Raimundstraße and Hamerlingstraße is transformed into an attractive new "district in a district" to plans by the firm of architects Kneidinger and Stögmüller. It includes the two office blocks City Tower 1 and 2, the Sonnenhof-Lenaupark retirement home, which was built as part of the city's social strategy, as well as supported rental and rent-then-buy apartments.

Lenaupark

31st March 2005
Long distance heating plant Linz-Mitte Neu LINZ AG constructs a new gas and steam turbine plant with a long distance heating store and two long-distance heating peak-load boilers, worth a total of 82 million Euros. This is a considerable contribution to the national climate change strategy of Austria, on the one hand through a high fuel efficiency of 89 per cent in the cogeneration process and on the other hand through CO2 reductions in domestic fires, which can be avoided through switching to long distance heating. Simultaneously producing electricity and long distance heating also meets the energy and ecological targets of the European Union. The new plant replaces the old oil and coal plants and thereby reduces pollutant emissions.

18th March 2005
New Sonnenhof The ground-breaking ceremony officially opens the redevelopment and expansion of the Sonnenhof retirement home on the Freinberg.

After about half the residents of the care home had been transferred into the new retirement centre Sonnenhof-Lenaupark in June 2003, parts of the old building complex were stripped down or demolished entirely. In the course of the new development four living areas each with room for 32 residents could be built together with their own care support points. The return of the residents is planned for February 2007.

15th February 2005
Ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Tower of Knowledge.
Following the unanimous decision by the Linz City Council on 3rd June 2004, an attractive, 16 storey centre for providing knowledge and recreational activities will be built by autumn 2007 between Kärntnerstraße and Weingartshofstraße.

The adult education centre and the city library had already been merged into one organisation. By locating them in a single building, the strengths of both institutions can be accessed to their full potential, and new services can be created.
The Tower of Knowledge will offer self-education centres for life-long learning and represents a centre for reading, literature and media use.

The basic architectural concept was developed by the Linz architects Franz Kneidinger and Heinz Stögmüller. The building will meet the highest technological standards and set new standards for the use by people with special needs.
Building the Tower of Knowledge represents the completion of a further project named in the cultural development plan of 2000 and sends a strong signal in favour of education, life-long learning and culture.

Ground-breaking ceremony for the Tower of Knowledge

3rd December 2004
Opening of the Main Station

After two years in construction, and costing a total of 45 million Euros, the new Linz Main Station is opened.

Main Station

13th September 2004
Linz applies to be European Capital of Culture 2009.

After the Linz City Council made the decision on the 1st July 2004, a delegation led by Governor Dr. Josef Pühringer, Mayor Dr. Franz Dobusch and Deputy Mayor and Spokesman for the Arts Dr. Erich Watzl deliver the application documents to Secretary of State for the Arts Franz Morak. The European Council is expected to make a decision on the application in May 2005.

31st August 2004
The new underground section for the tram lines 1, 2 and 3 opens.

Tram lines 1,2 and 3 now run via the Linz Main Station. Plans to connect the Linz Main Station directly to all tram lines were begun as early as 1976. Even then, putting the tram lines underground had seemed the most practical solution, although the suggested route was changed several times. Early on in the planning stage the entry and exit ramps were located at Schillerpark and the Unionkreuzung, later the route straight through the Volksgarten or under the Unionstraße/Pillweinstraße/ Brucknerstraße/Wiener Straße block was suggested. Finally entry at the Volksgarten and exit after the Sacred Heart Church was agreed on.

After the construction work to move the no. 3 line at the station forecourt was completed in March 2001, the ground-breaking was held in June for the underground tram system at the Main Station. In February the following year work began on the tunnel at the Herz-Jesu-Kirche (Sacred Heart Church) tram stop, with Mrs. Erna Stockinger, the wife of the CEO of LINZ AG, officiating. All the structural work on the tunnel is completed as early as December 2003. The underground tram section comes into use four months earlier than originally planned.

New underground section for tram

15th July 2004
The city senate of Linz decides on a restructuring of the municipality, to be implemented by the end of the year. The municipality's 33 service points and two corporations are to be replaced by 27 service points and three corporations. Among other things, the purpose of these structural reforms is to focus strongly on results, improve customer orientation and transparency as well as increase efficiency by making use of potential synergies in personnel and purpose.

25th June 2004
The infrastructure centre in Solar City is opened.

Infrastructure center in solarCity

9th June 2004
Ground-breaking ceremony for the second level of expansion for the no. 2 tram line. Extending the no. 2 line from Hillerstraße to Pichling via Ebelsberg connects the new suburb Solar City to the public transport network.

18th May 2004
Mayor Dr. Franz Dobusch and spokesman for the arts Dr. Erich Watzl present the results of the academic research project "De-Nazification in Regional Comparison".

17th May 2004
The results of the project "Our future: Linz 21" are presented.

The Linz City Council commissioned the project "Our future: Linz 21" in October 2001. A team of experts was to examine possible future developments for the City of Linz and develop future strategies accordingly. The conclusions of the project are now available in a comprehensive final report.

22nd October 2003
The former deputy governor and councillor Dr. Karl Grünner dies aged 71.

Dr. Karl Grünner was born on the 30th December 1932 in Linz. After completing secondary school and studying at the Federal Institute for Teacher Training, Grünner taught as a primary and secondary school teacher in the districts of Linz-Stadt and Linz-Land. He completed a psychology degree at the University of Vienna while he was working, and was awarded his PhD in 1966.

Karl Grünner's political career began in 1954 as student teacher representative in the Socialist Union of Teachers. In 1973 he was elected to the Upper Austrian parliament, where as regional councillor he was spokesman on nature conservation, health and price monitoring between 1979 and 1982. Between 1982 and October 1993 he acted as Deputy Governor of Upper Austria.

During this period Dr. Karl Grünner was responsible for the well-being of Upper Austrian local authorities. The promotion of social, economic and socio-political life in Linz was of special importance to him.

Dr. Grünner received numerous awards for his dedication and political achievements, including the Honorary Ring of the City of Linz, and the Grand Gold Honorary Award of Upper Austria.

Dr. Karl Grünner

22nd August 2003
The city park between Huemerstraße, Museumstraße, Noßbergerstraße and Körnerstraße is officially opened. It is the second largest park complex in the inner city.

city park

20th August 2003
Ground breaking ceremony for the large-scale project „A7 – Einhausung Bindermichl“.

More than 90,000 vehicles use the A7 every day in the Bindermichl area. Noise pollution is reduced by lowering and covering the city motorway between the Lißfeld sports facility and Hanuschstraße, with the construction of a noise protection wall in the area of the Hummelhof junction as well as an overhead noise barrier in the area near the Wagner-Jauregg hospital.

Three quarters of the estimated costs of 100 million Euros were  covered by the federal Motorway and Road Financing Corporation (ASFINAG). The remaining costs were borne by the Province of Upper Austria and the City of Linz.

4th July 2003
Opening of the retirement home Sonnenhof-Lenaupark.

This modern care facility for elderly citizens of Linz marks the end of the  building programme of the City of Linz in this sector for the time being. The demand for in-patient care can now almost be met.

The City of Linz spent around 20 million Euros on this project.

The retirement centre was built by Baureform Wohnstätte, and the architects Stögmüller and Kneidinger were responsible for the design.  Sonnenhof-Lenaupark will be run by St. Vincent's Holy Family Community.

Retirement home Sonnenhof-Lenaupark

18th May 2003
The Lentos Museum for Modern Art is opened.

The art space by the Danube is ceremonially opened to the public with an exhibition titled: "Avantgarde and Tradition". Designed by the Swiss architectural firm Weber + Hofer, the three-storey, 130 metre long building was built in just 29 months. While the New Gallery, which had been located in the housing and commercial complex Lentia 2000 since 1979, had to make do with 3600 square metres of exhibition space, 8000 square metres are now available to ensure a modern and contemporary presentation of the collections. The entire top floor will be reserved for exhibitions. A continuous glass roof transforms the space into a daylight museum. The building's exterior skin consists of a reflective glass mantle, behind which numerous lamps are fitted. At night the facade can shine in a variety of colours.

The costs of the art museum ran to around 33 million Euros, of which the Province of Upper Austria contributed 7.27 million, and sponsors around three million.

Lentos Museum of Modern Art

7th March 2003
The new multi-purpose and sports hall is officially opened. The "Intersport Arena Linz" is a perfectly sized hall not just for athletics events but is also an ideal location for cultural events.

The Intersport-Arena Linz

3rd February 2003
In addition to registration, responsibility for passports and lost property come within the remit of the municipality.

17th January 2003
After a construction time of two and a half years the retirement centre Keferfeld/Oed on Meggauerstraße is opened.
Wohnungsanlagen GmbH (WAG) project managed the 10.6 million Euro project, which will be operated by the City of Linz. Designed by the firm of architects Team M, the  retirement centre will provide a home for 90 senior citizens.

Retirement Centre Keferfeld/Oed

1st January 2003
Following a decision by the City Council on the 19th September 2002 the "New Gallery of the City of Linz" and the "Nordico – Museum of the City of Linz" are merged into a single organisation. The institutions will be known as the "Museums of the City of Linz".

28th November 2002
The ground-breaking ceremony for the large-scale project "Medicent" on Untere Donaulände is held.

From the end of 2003 onwards, the distinctive building, designed by the architectural firm Heinz-Mathoi-Strehli of Innsbruck, is to house three levels of doctor's surgeries, offices and the largest fitness centre in Linz, 4600 square metres, with an outdoor swimming pool.

end of October 2002
The park on the Bauernberg in Linz is included on the list of the most important protected gardens and parks in Austria.
The area includes the public park and the site of the former  Hatschekvilla, which belongs to the Chamber of Agriculture. As a typical Art Nouveau park the Bauernberg is unique in Austria.

Until about 1900 the area was used for sand mining and was partly used for agricultural purposes. At the turn of the century the "Society for the Beautification of the City of Linz and its Surroundings" began extending the public park, in order to provide the citizens of Linz with a new destination for outings.

After the grounds had been purchased by the City of Linz, the first Austrian competition for the design of a public space was advertised in 1911. Thanks to the generous financial support of the owner of the neighbouring villa complex, Ludwig Hatschek, a beautiful park was laid out over the following seven years.

After suffering heavy damage during World War II, the Department for Public Gardens began the large-scale alterations in the 1950s which shape the appearance of the park to this day.

Park on the Bauernberg

middle of August 2002
Sustained heavy rainfall results in disastrous flooding comparable to the catastrophe of 1954.
In July 1954 the Danube in Linz rose to 9.62 metres. In those days the banks of the Danube were poorly defended against flooding. In Heilhamer Au and Pichling especially, many houses fell victim to the flooding. Thousands of inhabitants of Linz were made homeless and had to move into emergency accommodation.

The events of 1954 triggered the construction of generous embankments on both banks of the Danube. The city was therefore fairly well protected against flooding.

In 2002 the Danube reaches a high point of 8.20 metres. The motorway junction A7 and the areas of Plesching and Alt-Urfahr are critically affected by the flooding. 54 people have to be rescued after their vehicles are surrounded by  water on the A7 after a dam bursts on the river Krems.

The damming with sandbags of a  flood relief channel in Plesching is worked on feverishly to secure the already sodden base of the embankments and to prevent the threatened banks from bursting.

In western Alt-Urfahr the inhabitants of the Ottensheimer Straße are the worst affected. They receive provisions daily by dinghies manned by  the fire brigade.

5th July 2002
Construction D, the fourth and final stage of the comprehensive modernisation of the Linz General Hospital, opens.
It houses 142 beds for the pulmonology, neurology and pathology departments. It also houses the outpatient clinics for pulmonology and neurology, and the head offices for medicine, administration and care. There is a new helicopter landing pad on the roof. Work on Construction D began in September 1998, and the topping-out ceremony was held on the 3rd November 1999.

The opening ceremony and the planned demolition of buildings Ia, XVIII, the pathology department and the boiler house mark the end of the modernisation period at the Linz General Hospital.

28th June 2002
The ground-breaking ceremony for the town centre of Solar City Pichling is held just after the topping-out celebration for the Training  and After-School Care Centre.

26th June 2002
"Linz 21", a council for the future, is convened.

"Linz 21" is the name of a project dedicated to the future development of Linz. Representatives of the City Council and expert advisers are to highlight and discuss possible developments. The council for the future is supported by AEC, which provides a fundamental study of global, regional and local trends and delivers relevant data. The work will also incorporate concepts and programmes already under way, such as the cultural development plan, the local development concept, the social programme and the mission statement for traffic.

1st June 2002
The new organ of the city parish church is unveiled. Standing 10 metres high, and with 1554 pipes it is the third largest mechanical church organ in Linz. The old organ,  which Anton Bruckner had played, was not in a condition to be restored. No more than 500 of its pipes could be reused in the new organ, which was built as a copy of the historic original.

3rd May 2002
The ground-breaking ceremony for City Tower 2 marks another stage of the city development project Lenaupark.

2nd April 2002
Opening of the TECHCENTER Linz winter harbour
The construction was designed by the Linz architect Dipl.-Ing. Gerd Gessner and completed under the supervision of Linz AG in around two years. Occupants of the complex, jointly constructed by the city, provincial and federal governments are mainly firms from the IT-sector and institutions promoting business.
http://www.techcenter.at/ german

TECHCENTER

2nd April 2002
The new tramline 2 begins operating.
The line 2 runs from the university to the Wiener Strasse/Simonystrasse crossing, parallel to the existing no. 1, and then continues through the centre of Ebelsberg to the provisional terminus ‘Hillerstraße’.

The first three of the 21 ordered lowered trams of the ‘Cityrunner’ type will run on this line.

The new tramline 2

26th February 2002
Groundbreaking ceremony for the redesign of the main railway station

Ground breaking ceremony of the main railway station

25th February 2002
Construction begins for the tram underpass near the ‘Herz-Jesu-Kirche’ stop.

Construction begins for the tram underpass

15th February 2002
Groundbreaking ceremony for the emergency hospital on Garnisonstraße.

Ground breaking ceremony for the emergency hospital

February 2002
The retirement home St. Anna of charity is operational. In addition to 80 long-term care beds the care centre on the Froschberg offers six beds for short-term care.

The new retirement home was supported by the city of Linz to the tune of €1.3 m.

18th October 2001
The city council decides to introduce e-government in the city’s administration. Creating the ‘electronic file’ is the cornerstone of the project, which will take several years. All administrative cases are to be processed at the relevant municipal offices purely in electronic format.

6th July 2001
Groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of solarCity Pichling. A new district with 1500 apartments and complete infrastructure is to be created between Weikerlsee and Alt-Pichling. It will be connected to the public transport network by extending the tramline from Ebelsberg to Pichling.

June 2001
Groundbreaking ceremony for the tram subway, to be constructed as part of the local traffic hub at the main station.
http://www.drehscheibe-linz.at/ (german)

29th May 2001
Mayor Dr. Franz Dobusch and Councellor Mag. Dr. Reinhard Dyk publicly present the results of the research project ‘National Socialism in Linz’.
"Nationalsozialismus in Linz".
The books "National Socialism in Linz"

5th April 2001
Ending ceremony after the completion of the revitalisation of the town hall area. 16 houses between the Main Square and the Pfarrplatz were comprehensively renovated since early 1994, harmonising the needs of protecting the historical site of the town hall with the demands of administrative offices.

town hall area

April 2001
Ground-breaking ceremony for the new provincial services centre, which will be constructed on the railway station forecourt together with a new bus terminal as part of the local traffic hub.