Austria - Linz - ARS Electronica Center

The new Ars Electronica Center is a one-of-a-kind facility. Its uniqueness is betokened by its external form. This bold architectural statement is an instant highlight within the Linz cityscape’s ensemble, yet it still sets itself apart at first—none of its edges run parallel, everything appears skewed, elements simultaneously pulling apart and merging together. A structure that’s constantly assuming new forms depending on the perspective from which it’s viewed. And one that withholds revelation of its scope and dimensions until the moment of direct physical encounter.

Austria – Wasserburg am Inn

Wasserburg am Inn is a town in the district Rosenheim in Upper Bavaria, Germany.

The town was first mentioned in a document (now considered to be a fake) in 1137, when Hallgraf Engelbert moved his residence from the nearby castle Limburg to his “Wasserburg” (Water Castle). It is one of the most historic towns of Old Bavaria – somewhat older than Munich, continually fought over by the Bavarian nobility and, up to the 16th century, on an equal footing with larger cities. The privileges afforded by this enabled the salt trade to flourish right into the 19th century. At the junction of the main overland route with the main water route, Wasserburg became the most important trade center with the Balkans, Austria and Italy, a means of attaining power and wealth for the shipping owners and merchants.

In the early days, Wasserburg was an important hub in the salt trade. Its bridge was the only possibility to cross the river Inn for 30 km in both directions. On its shore the salt, mined in Berchtesgaden or produced in the Saline (salter) at Bad Reichenhall and shipped from there by cart, could be loaded on ships traveling on the Inn River. Up to the 17th century Wasserburg was used as the port of the capital Munich.

Austria – Bregenz

Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost federal state of Austria. The city is located on the eastern shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the west and Germany in the northwest.

The Upper town district is the oldest, with buildings from the 13th through to the 16th century. In this part of town you can still find parts of the original fortifying town walls. The Martin’s Tower is the landmark of Bregenz, a building with a late Roman core and mainly baroque style architecture. The fresco in the chapel dates back to 1362. A further very impressive building is the gothic parish church of St. Gall, with a Roman-Romanesque foundation dating from before 1380 and a Baroque altar.
The biggest cultural event is the Bregenz Festival in the summer, with operas and plays, held on a stage build on the Bodensee itself.

Austria – Graz – aerial view

Graz’s “Old Town” is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe. In 1999, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites.

Graz was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003.

Austria - Freistadt

Freistadt (literally "Freetown") is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel.
Freistadt was an old medieval town (founded around 1220) that separated the Habsburg and Bohemian lands. It was a crossroad of the salt and iron trade route during the Middle Ages from the Danube to Bohemia. The outer and inner walls, towers and gates of the old city, build mainly between 1363 and 1393 still exist today.