Linz, 2009 European Capital of Capital

Thursday, November 19, 2009

The Austrian city of Linz is in the news at the moment, as it's holding a No Music Day on Saturday. The project is all part of Linz's time as the 2009 European Capital of Culture, a title it shares with Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

I visited Linz over the summer during the Pflasterspektakel festival - a five day celebration of street theatre. And what a celebration it was, with theatre taking over the streets. Comedians, clowns, acrobats, gymnasts, trapeze artists, jugglers all vye for attention, with great busking and music performances too.

Tumble Circus, Linz

Street performers, Linz

Away from that weekend, a vibrant series of events were talking place in Linz including plays set on buses and public transport and headphone-led plays through the city's streets.

In the midst of it all are Linz's outstanding venues, the neon clad Lentos Art Museum (below), the concert hall Brucknerhaus and the museum Ars Electronica Center with a great series of exhibitions, shows, plays and concerts.

Lentos Art Museum, Linz

There is also a ferris wheel and skywalk high above the city's rooftops, as well as a vast array of symposia and projects about Europe and European identity.

Ferris wheel at Höhenrausch, Linz
Image by knorp

I really enjoyed seeing how the graphic identity of Linz09 was incorporated in to familiar images of the city like Linzertorte, the local speciality.



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