Beautiful historic town (Linz)

Member Name: samm65

Product:	Linz
Date:	09/12/08 (3 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: historic, pretty, cobbled streets

Disadvantages: none

LINZ AM RHEIN

Linz is situated on the banks of the Rhine.

We visited for a day from Cologne by train. It was really easy to do and as we had 3 day tickets covering travel it was great as we were also able to travel as far as Linz on the same pass.

Linz is a really beautiful old town steeped in history. It has pretty winding streets with lovely shops selling traditonal wares and fabulous sweets and chocolates.

If you arrive by train as we did it's just a short walk to the old town centre. The main square is such a photo opportunity with the beautiful buildings many black and white timbered. The Town Hall is here along with a lovely fountain - the Ratsherrenbrunnen and the Mariensaule pillar which was built in 1878 are all surrounded by the buildings of houses, shops, bars, cafes etc. There is lots of outside seating and i expect this is bustling in the summer months.

The Rathouse (Town Hall) houses both the Mayors office and the tourist information centre and they are able to give you lots of information on the things to see within the town and surrounding area. The town hall clock has 23 bells that can be heard at various times during the day, not hourly however i seem to recall.

In another square , Kirchplatz, their is an old church with an alter dating back from the 1400's. Next to the church is the old vicarage building which is really pretty for photos again. The older church of St Martin dates around the 1200's and is a mixture of styles making it quite striking. There are a few other churches to see if you like looking around them in Linz too.

The main city gate is worth a look as its setting is amidst more half timbered buildings and at the end of a really pretty street.

The square at Buttermarkt is lovely and has a fountain commemorating the ladies that sold their wares here from the 1600's up to the 1930's (obviously not all the same ladies!) . Our daughter liked the statues here of the ladies and the white cobbles she could trace which showed where the old stream from the mill used to run right through the town.

There is a castle here which was built in 1365 which was used by the Archbishops of nearby Cologne as a customs house and fortress. You can go around the dungeons and the torture chambers and see the original tower. Food is also served here in the great hall and they have events all year especially Christmastime.

Another building of note is the Hotel, it was originally built as a summer residence for a family from Coligne and has lovely gardens and is in a classical design and has beautiful views over the Rhine.

We were there in February and really liked it and would like to go back in both Summertime to enjoy more of the bars outdoor spaces and also for Christmas markets as this is such a romantic historical town. There are many more interesting and historic things to see here but as we were only there for a day visit we didnt see everything to comment on. Its a typical chocolate box setting and well worth a visit.

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY POSTED ON QYPE BY MYSELF UNDER THE NAME SUNLINESAM

Summary: very pretty town on the rhine