Pöstlingberg
| Pöstlingberg | ||
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 The Pöstlingberg via Urfahr |
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| height | 539 m above sea level A. | |
| location | Linz , Upper Austria | |
| Dominance | 1.45 km → Grossamberg | |
| Notch height | 50 m ↓ near Theresiengut | |
| Coordinates | 48 ° 19 '26 " N , 14 ° 15' 30" E | |
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The Pöstlingberg is a 539 m high mountain above the left bank of the Danube in the district of the same name in Linz , Austria . It is a popular excursion destination with the Pöstlingbergbahn , with the viewing platform on the city of Linz, the baroque pilgrimage church Pöstlingberg and the Linzer Grottenbahn . The Pöstlingberg is an upscale residential area of Linz.
Pilgrimage church
The religious history of the Pöstlingberg goes back to the year 1716. That year, Franz Obermayr, a lay brother of the original Capuchin monastery, had a Pietà designed by the Linz sculptor Ignaz Jobst attached to the weather cross . The Pöstlingberg was built as a pilgrimage site and a wooden chapel as early as 1720. This was replaced by a chapel with a stone substructure in 1730/31. In 1742 the construction of one of the most famous landmarks in Upper Austria, the Pöstlingberg Church, began. It was inaugurated on December 9, 1748. Initially a branch church of the parish church of Linz, it was raised to a locality in 1785 and received a cemetery with a gravedigger's house. Since 1960 the church and parish have been run by the Oblate Order of St. Franz von Sales looks after. On August 15, 1964, the church was elevated to the papal minor basilica .
The Pöstlingberg Church burned twice. The first fire, caused by a lightning strike, occurred on May 17, 1919. The roof structure was destroyed by flames, the interior of the church remained intact. A second fire on May 31, 1963, caused by a blowtorch , destroyed both the roof of the church and both towers. However, they could be reconstructed.
For several years now, donations have been used to renovate the pilgrimage basilica, which is still a popular excursion and tourist destination in Linz today.
Excursion mountain
In 1747 there was evidence of an inn for the first time, the forerunner of today's Kirchenwirt. It was first frequented by pilgrims and later by day trippers.
From the end of the 18th century, the Pöstlingberg was visited by day trippers. A view could only be enjoyed from the lower slopes, as the summit region was still forested. The pilgrimage church, which is now widely visible, was also hidden in the forest. That changed in 1809 when the French cut down the summit region to build entrenchments there. Further forest areas fell victim to the construction of the Maximilian fortifications in the 1830s.
In addition to the now unobstructed view, the fortifications themselves were an attraction for visitors, because the mountain region was by no means a restricted military area , but remained accessible to civilians .
The ascent to the mountain could be done via a steep way of the cross past today's Petrinum , or via a longer but more comfortable route via Hagen Castle . There was also a road, but its condition was so bad that contemporary travel guides advised against taking a carriage ride up the mountain. In addition to the Way of the Cross on the Urfahraner side, built in 1873, the Puchenau Way of the Cross, also with 14 stations, was laid out in 1889 . Towards the end of the 19th century the idea of a mountain railway came up, and in 1898 the opening of the Pöstlingbergbahn gave a new boost to the mountain's tourist development.
In the course of the construction of the mountain railway, the railway operator, the Tramway- und Elektrizitäts Gesellschaft Linz-Urfahr (TEG, later ESG, today Linz Linien ) also redesigned the summit region and acquired the Maximilian Fort for this purpose. The mountain railway hotel (today's " Pöstlingberg-Schlössl ") was built on a fortress wall . The roof of fortress tower V has been redesigned into a viewing terrace. In addition, numerous trees and hedges were planted by the TEG in order to alleviate the consequences of the beating of the French in 1809.
The year 1906 brought another attraction with the opening of the Grottenbahn in Fortress Tower II. In the same year the network of walking paths was expanded.
After the Pöstlingbergbahn ran all year round from 1900, it could also be used by fans of the then emerging skiing. In 1905 the Linz ski and toboggan club was founded, which acquired grounds on the mountain, built a toboggan run and a ski jump, and organized ski races.
In the forest not far from the Mayrwiesen there is the Holy Bründl with Mariengrotto, whose water is said to have healing properties.
Military installations
In prehistoric times there was a rampart on the Pöstlingberg. Thereafter the mountain played no military role until 1809. In that year the French occupied Linz and Urfahr and there was also fighting on Pöstlingberg, from where the Austrians fought the French (unsuccessfully). The French then built wooden entrenchments and a fort on the summit of the Pöstlingberg , for which part of the forest was cut down. The fort and the entrenchments were torn down by the French when they withdrew. The view from the summit region only became possible through the deforestation of the French. Before, the city could only be viewed from lower slopes.
Experience from the French Wars finally led to the construction of a fortification around Linz in the 1830s, which also included the Pöstlingberg.
During the Second World War, various flak positions were set up on the Pöstlingberg . In the north-western tower of the Pöstlingberg Church, which was camouflaged from 1943, a flak listening post was set up in 1944.
Cable car project 2006
In autumn 2006 the project of a cable car to the Pöstlingberg emerged. A gondola lift from the Schlossberg over the Danube to the Pöstlingberg (with a stopover at the Linz zoo ) was to become an additional attraction for the cultural capital Linz in 2009 and then dismantled again. The costs of around 10 million euros should have been raised mainly by a private group of investors. Because the implementation period was too short (in addition to the construction time, approval procedures and basic redemption procedures also had to be taken into account), the project was not implemented. In addition, the Pöstlingbergbahn was modernized from 2008 to 2009 and extended to the main square.
literature
- Erich Hillbrand, Friederike Grill-Hillbrand: Pöstlingberg. Highlights of the appearance and history of Linz's local mountain. Universitätsverlag Rudolf Trauner, Linz 1996, ISBN 3-85320-766-9 .
- Christian Hager: On the Pöstlingberg! History and stories of the landmark of the state capital Linz. Denkmayr Verlag, Linz 1997, ISBN 3-901123-90-3 .
Web links
- Way of the Cross Pöstlingberg 1. City of Linz, monuments.
- Quo Vadis. Community of Puchenau, Puchenauer Kreuzweg.
- Friedrich Schwarz: Out to Linz. Nature walks in the city periphery. From Urfahr over the Pöstlingberg to Puchenau and back. ÖKO-L 32/1, Linz 2010, PDF on ZOBODAT
- Bibliography on Pöstlingberg in the forum OoeGeschichte.at