1984 - 2000
Today Linz is the second biggest business centre in Austria. World-renowned businesses are in the international eye as much as major cultural events such as the Ars Electronica and the Bruckner Festival.
Declaring Linz a ‘City of Peace’ brings the commitment to comprehensively and responsibly work through the Nazi past and to oppose any kind of aggressive extremism.
16th October 2000
After the demolition of the erstwhile DDSG-mooring point construction begins for the Linz Lentos culture museum.
http://www.lentos.at/en/
28th September 2000
The Passage department store, which has existed since 1963, is reopened after an eight-month refurbishment.
29th June 2000
The city council decides to create a holding from the Linz city services (SBL) and the Linz electricity, heating and transport services AG (ESG). Both businesses, which are 100 per cent owned by the City of Linz, form Linz AG from the 1st October onwards.
14th June 2000
Groundbreaking ceremony for a multifunctional sports hall on the Gugl. The new multi-purpose hall, whose completion is expected in early 2002, will host international, national and regional sporting competition, schools sport, but also cultural events.
2000
The city council agrees on a plan for the cultural development of the city of Linz.
8th December 1999
Opening of the multi-screen cinema ‘Cineplexx World Linz’ at the Prinz-Eugen-Strasse/Industriezeile crossing. The first multiplex cinema within city boundaries has 10 screens as well as numerous catering facilities.
20th January 1999
Mayor Dr. Franz Dobusch presents a comprehensive study on the provenance of paintings at Linz’s New Gallery.
December 1998
A large fire destroys a warehouse belonging to Quelle AG in Linz’s harbour.
1st October 1998
With the new federal law concerning organisation of fine arts universities, the college of fine arts is renamed the ‘University for artistic and industrial design.’
http://www.ufg.ac.at/ (german)
1998
The EU council of culture ministers awards Linz the title of ‘European cultural city of the month’. Between the 28th August and 4th October the city is in the European spotlight with more than 30 cultural projects.
1997 - 2000
Construction of the Ebelsberg bypass. On the 9th June 2000 the bypass is to be opened to traffic.
5th October 1997
Dr. Franz Dobusch (in office since 1988) becomes Linz’s first mayor to be elected directly by the people.
15th September 1997
Starting shot for the final stage of construction for the public hospital. This new construction will contain the neurology, psychiatry, pneumology and pathology faculties and the exploratory surgery station as well as house a helicopter landing pad. An education centre for the medical academies will be set up in conjunction with this. With more than 400 places this is the biggest educational institution for health professions in Upper Austria, and will be formally opened on the 9th October 2000.
http://www.akh.linz.at/ (german)
July 1997
The city council and province of Upper Austria initiate a competition for the area around the main railway station in Linz. The plan is to redesign the railway station building and to integrate it with the new local traffic hub and the service centre for the province of Upper Austria.
19th September 1996
The city council unanimously decides to back comprehensive research into the period of National Socialism in Linz.
2nd September 1996
Opening of the Ars Electronica Centre the bridgehead in Urfahr.
http://www.aec.at/en/index.asp
20th January 1994
Opening of the Design Center, multifunctional exhibition and conference-centre on the Europaplatz.
http://www.design-center.at/ (german)
1994
The Linz abattoir is badly damaged during a major fire.
October 1993
The ESG begins running the south Linz heating station in Lunzerstraße.
January 1993
The newly renovated Stifter house is reopened.
3rd September 1992
Opening of the Taubenmarkt-Arkade shopping mall.
1991
The city of Linz initiates a special housing programme in cooperation with the province of Upper Austria to create new housing. 21 housing projects are completed as a result of this programme, including housing estates in Auwiesen and in Ennsfeld.
1990 - 1994
Third stage of construction of the public hospital. In addition to the redesign of both internal departments a new nursing college is created.
15th November 1990
The welfare programme passed by the city council targets the complete restructuring of welfare policy, in response to societal changes. The core points of this initiative are the extension of child care facilities, retirement care, new forms of cooperation between public and private welfare institutions and not least the introduction of the ‘Active-card‘. These were quickly implemented.
From as soon as 1998 onwards every 3-year-old was offered a kindergarten place, and every pupil a place in a day centre with lunch. In retirement care much emphasis was placed on the decentralisation of accommodation and care homes. By 2000, six new municipal retirement homes had been set up in separate parts of the city. The care home on Glimpfingerstrasse and the Hillinger home in Urfahr were extended and modernised. The St. Anna Caritas care home and retirement homes in Keferfeld-Oed and in the Lenaupark are under construction.
27th April 1990
Opening of the ‘Kuddelmuddel Ich und Du‘ childrens‘ culture centre in Langgasse.
1990
Linz celebrates ‘500 years of the provincial capital‘. In connection with this, the ‘Linz-Festival‘ is celebrated for the first time.
15th June 1989
The economic programme passed by the city council launches an initiative to transform Linz from a centre of heavy industry to a broadly structured city of business. The Franzosenhausweg business park, the Design Center, the technology centre on Wiener Strasse, the commerce and business centre on Paul-Hahn-Strasse, the Pichling south park and the technology centre by the winter harbour are based on this concept.
1989
Founding of the Linz management academy (LIMAK) in cooperation between the city, the province, business and the university. Since autumn 1998 it has been based in the renovated Bergschlössl.
The city starts a large-scale image campaign, based on the slogan ‘Linz. The renewal of a city!‘
1989 - 1990
St. Paul's Church is built in Pichling to plans by Anton Zemann.
To counter the precarious parking shortage in the city centre, a network of subterranean garages is built (1988 Main Square, 1990 Südbahnhof, Hessenplatz and Friedensplatz, 1991 Public Hospital, 1999 Dametzstraße).
1988
The VOEST-Alpine AG is divided into four division holdings and ceases to exist in its old form.
16th – 18th July 1987
For the first time Linz launches the three-day event ‘Days of Street Music‘. Buskers playing a variety of musical styles from all over Europe and the USA enliven the pedestrian zone between the main square and the Schillerplatz. The big success of this event, which was initiated by the Linz culture department, was to become a regular event in the city’s summer calendar under the name ‘Linzer Pflasterspektakel‘.
The Prix Ars Electronica is awarded for the first time, as part of the Ars Electronica. The 1 million Schilling prize is awarded for outstanding artistic achievement in computer culture in animation, graphics and music. The baroque hilltop palace on the Pöstlingberg falls victim to a fire.
16th January 1986
40,000 affected workers gather in Linz’s Main Square to protest against the problems in the nationalised industry.
1986
Linz declares itself a City of Peace.
1985 - 1989
The groundbreaking ceremony for the second stage of construction of the public hospital takes place on the 4th June 1985. By 1989 a care department for surgical wards I and II, as well as the departments for gynaecology and obstetrics, and jaw and facial surgery are completed by 1989 as is the installation of appropriate medical-technical equipment.
27th September 1985
Opening of the new town hall in Urfahr on the northern bridgehead.
1985
VOEST-Alpine slides into an annual loss of 11.8 billion Schillings. Oil speculation by the subsidiary Intertrading accounts for a large part of this. The entire board of directors resigns. Over 3,000 employees had been given early retirement in 1983.
An animal sanctuary is built in Dornach.
1984 - 1985
St. Francis' Parish Church in Zöhrdorferfeld is built.
1st September 1984
Opening of the re-worked Posthof, near the city harbour. This alternative culture centre is expanded considerably in 1990 with the addition of Posthof II.
http://www.posthof.at/
