SPONSORED BY THE UPPER AUSTRIAN TOURISM BOARD, THE TOURIST BOARD LINZ, AND THE DANUBE UPPER AUSTRIA TOURIST BOARD UPPER AUSTRIA JEWEL OF THE DANUBE Subhead FROM THE CHARMING VILLAGES OF THE DACHSTEIN WORLD HERITAGE REGION SALZKAMMERGUT, THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF WOLFGANGSEE AND THE DANUBE TO THE URBAN SOPHISTICATION OF LINZ, UPPER AUSTRIA IS A FEAST FOR THE SENSES This natural bend in the Danube, one of the river’s most majestic parts, is known as Schlögener Schlinge. PHOTO: JOHANN STEININGER SPECIAL SECTION UPPER AUSTRIA JOHANN STEININGER In Upper Austria, a visitor can find everything from historical fortresses standing sentry over the winding Danube River, pristine mountain lakes, rugged precipices, quaint inns, and cozy taverns to the capital city of arrived in the village more than 30 years Y A N I A Linz, which successfully combines the old and new. It’s an enticing destination for the discerning traveler. ago from Graz to marry a local girl. He and R M T his wife, Verena, run an historic inn and R S CZ E EC U H R TEXT BY MICHAEL TROY Passau G EP A AUS . tavern by the lake. With its cozy ambiance TRIA and distinctive, timbered interior (enhanced by Lobisser’s talents as a carpenter), Engelhartszell D Bräugasthof Lobisser represents the best a S10 n LAND OF LAKES, LAND OF DELIGHTS Schlögener Schlinge u b of Hallstatt. Further down the lakeshore is e the Janu sports shop, which at first seems R iver ustria’s lake district, the two-hour train ride, or about one and a The presence of salt explains the well- more like the quaint mom and pop shops Linz 119 Salzkammergut, is spectacularly half hours by car from Linz or Salzburg. preserved artifacts made of wood and of days gone by until you enter BLUE DANUBE Klam Grein A8 AIRPORT beautiful and home to one of The village is a key site of an early Iron cloth, including 7,000-year-old shoes and the basement, where the wall Enns Europe’s oldest pre-Christian Age culture known as Hallstatt culture, miners’ backpacks discovered in the 19th of a medieval residence 143 St. Florian Wels A1 A1 Acivilizations. The landscape boasts snow- which flourished in Central Europe from century. Because of excavations carried and remnants of Roman A8 309 A G U E S capped mountain peaks, long hiking paths, the 8th to the 6th centuries b.c. The out through the years, archeologists have a foundations still stand. R T M R U PPER A USTRIA Steyr I A A rolling valleys, and the crystalline waters of first settlements of this idyllic village date remarkably detailed picture of ancient life in A new addition in N Y 76 lakes. back almost seven millennia to the salt the region. the famous village is the The heart of the area, the UNESCO mines of Neolithic times. “White gold,” Hallstatt’s salt mine, thought to be the meticulously and creatively Attersee Gmunden 140 World Heritage region Hallstatt- Dachstein, as the mineral was known, gave the oldest in the world, still operates. Part renovated four-star lakeside Mondsee Attersee Traunsee 115 is easily accessible from Linz or Salzburg. The Salzkammergut its name—literally the of the mine is open to the public; tours Heritage Hotel. Located strategically Mondsee towns of Hallstatt, Obertraun, Bad Goisern, “Estate of the Salt Chamber.” Nestled in are available April through October. The in the town center, it consists of and Gosau are renown for their natural steep rocky cliffs, Hallstatt is so unique cable car that takes visitors to the top three different historic houses, cleverly Salzburg St. Wolfgang charm, breathtaking vistas, traditions, and that a replica of it was built in China’s affords a spectacular view of the lake and intertwined, containing 42 newly renovated Wolfgangsee Bad Ischl sports—everything from hiking, biking, and Guangdong province—an inducement for surrounding mountains. double rooms and 12 suites, each uniquely S L O VAKIA skiing to swimming and golf. Asian visitors to come to Austria to admire Only about 900 people live in the town styled and furnished, some with stunning Bratislava At the region’s center is Hallstatt, a the real thing. year-round. One is Arnold Lobisser, who vistas of the famous lake. Each house has a Budapesest special flair and one, Haus Stocker, with its Hallstatt Hallstätter See HUNH NGG ARY 010 20 mi striking stone façade and cast iron window gratings, is the oldest house in the center 0 10 20 300 km of Hallstatt. This hotel compound is rapidly MAP BY NICK SPRINGER, SPRINGER CARTOGRAPHICS becoming a popular choice for visitors. The hotel restaurant, with its fine selection of local world-famous vacation destination, especially 86° Fahrenheit. It’s open year-round, so that and international specialties, should not be after the celebrated lakeside hotel The White even less-than-hardy souls can enjoy bathing missed. Horse Inn (Im Weissen Rössl) became the in mid-winter surrounded by the nighttime Lake Wolfgang, or Wolfgangsee as it is setting of the 1930 smash-hit musical comedy reflections of snowfields and mountain called in German, located about 45 minutes of the same name. This family-run hotel is peaks. from Hallstatt, is a smart choice for an more than 100 years old. It consists of nine Yes, the hills of the Salzkammergut are still extended stay. The lake water, a transparent brightly painted, interconnected historic alive with the sound of music, as well as a turquoise rimmed with white sand beaches, houses in the center of the old town—their beguiling present and past. is a visual treat. Travelers will also gravitate interior walls adorned with memorabilia of to the historic cogwheel steam railway bygone eras and movie stars. Furnishings that For more information, please visit: that chugs its way up from St. Wolfgang, once belonged to the early 20th-century film smithsonian.upperaustria.at past idyllic hiking paths, vast fields of flora, actor Emil Jannings are placed in different Tourism Dachstein Salzkammergut: ancient chapels engulfed by wildly growing rooms throughout the hotel. [email protected]; dachstein- Surrounded by the Salzkammergut The quaint village of Hallstatt traces shrubbery, and traditional taverns offering The White Horse Inn is St. Wolfgang’s salzkammergut.at/en. The White Horse Inn, mountains, the White Horse Inn back seven millennia, when salt culinary temptations. center of gravity. It has a “floating pool” set Lake Wolfgang: [email protected], overlooks Lake Wolfgang. mined here was called “white gold.” Lake Wolfgang has long been a into the lake with a constant temperature of weissesroessl.at/en THE WHITE HORSE INN/HANNES DABERNIG DACHSTEIN SALZKAMMERGUT/VIOREL MUNTEANU SPECIAL SECTION UPPER AUSTRIA LINZ TOURISMUS/JOHANN STEININGER A CAPITAL SOJOURN art collection, including several Herbert state-of-the-art facility and, despite the Anyone visiting Linz must also put one Beyer drawings. Born in Upper Austria, 1,000-seat-capacity, still emits a cozy, special stop on their list, ideally in early Beyer is a regional icon: a visionary figure woodsy charm. The delightful das Anton morning or late afternoon: the 20-minute trategically located along the descends upon the visitor. For those who Schlossberg (city castle), with a grand view of the Bauhaus movement whose ideas restaurant serves Austrian specialties as ride up to the Pöstlingberg on the historic Danube River, Linz was for almost enjoy discovering things on their own, the over city rooftops; the castle houses an profoundly influenced many remarkable well as imaginative, contemporary cuisine. cogwheel trolley. The stunning, 180-degree 400 years the sleepy, provincial old town offers unexpected encounters: excellent restaurant. It’s the perfect location personalities, among them Apple founder From late spring to early fall, outdoor panoramic view from city rooftops to the capital of Upper Austria before palaces quietly, almost unobtrusively, for an alfresco lunch on the terrace, Steve Jobs. cafes line the inner city avenues and the snow-covered peaks of the Austrian Alps Sit became an industrial hub in the early restored to former glory and hidden followed perhaps by a visit to the adjacent Hotels and inns are plentiful in Linz, old town features numerous restaurants, is as breathtaking as anything you will ever 20th century. Prior to World War I, it was courtyards with plaques commemorating art museum. and all are hospitable and clean to a bars, and clubs that stay open late for night see. a small, walled enclave of some 25,000 famous citizens or visitors. On the east side of the central square is high standard. I stayed at the fashionably owls. Josefs Das Stadtbrau along the main The private, highly respected Anton inhabitants amid the rolling hills surrounding There is the stately Mozart house, the historic City Hall where one can literally minimalist and modern Hotel am Domplatz, street (Landstrasse 49), or the Herberstein Bruckner University, situated just below it. Today, Linz is a modern mini-metropolis where, during a short stay in late 1783, walk over a fascinating floor plan of the with a fantastic view of the cathedral and in the old town (Altstadt 10), with its the Pöstlingberg, attracts music students of about 200,000, with a visionary approach the maestro wrote the Linz Symphony. entire city. The German mathematician and well within walking distance of most inner lounge-like, historic inner courtyard, from around the world. The renowned to the future as well as a proud and strong According to legend, it only took him astronomer Johannes Kepler, another famous city highlights. provide a good mix of trendy and laid-back Brucknerhaus concert hall offers many attachment to its past.