Nordico Stadtmuseum Linz

About the museum

The Nordico Stadtmuseum Linz opened in 1973 and houses art, photography, folk culture and objects of urban history from the provincial capital. It is located in the Rathausviertel on Simon-Wiesenthal-Platz in a building constructed in 1610 by the Italian master builder Francesco Silva as a suburban palace of Kremsmünster Abbey. The house owes its name to the Collegium Nordicum, with which the Jesuits ran a boarding school here for pupils from Scandinavia; it was dissolved under Emperor Joseph II. The city of Linz acquired the building in 1911.

The collection comprises around 1,800 paintings, thousands of graphic prints, views of Linz and an extensive photo collection including an online photo archive with about 30,000 images. The archaeological holdings were handed over in 2017 as a permanent loan to the Upper Austrian State Museum. In addition, since 2022 the Nordico has shown selected objects in the visible storage of the Museums of the City of Linz in the Tabakfabrik.

The current collection exhibition is devoted entirely to the city: on the ground floor, "Linz kompakt" tells around 2,000 years of city history in time-lapse in eight chapters, while on the second floor "Linz Blick" looks at the built and lived city and the question of what is typically Linz. The programme is complemented by a smartphone tour with 22 stations ("Linz Augmented"), guided tours and educational activities for schools and families. In 2025 the museum received the Austrian Museum Prize.

Highlights

• "Linz kompakt": 2,000 years of city history in time-lapse in eight chapters
• "Linz Blick": the built and lived city – what is typically Linz?
• Palace from 1610 in the Rathausviertel with a green forecourt
• Smartphone walk "Linz Augmented" with 22 stations in the museum and in the city
• Nordico Fotoarchiv Online with around 30,000 historical photographs

Permanent exhibitions

• Linz kompakt – The collection exhibition on the ground floor tells around 2,000 years of Linz city history in eight chapters with media stations and a reference library.
• Linz Blick – On the second floor the focus is on the built and lived city: artworks, folk culture objects and documents show what makes Linz what it is.

Founded

1973

Operated by

Museen der Stadt Linz GmbH

Director

Mag.ª Andrea Bina (Leitung Nordico Stadtmuseum)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Tuesdays from 3 pm for seniors; Free August for families (up to two adults with children up to 18); on Sundays "Two for One" (second person free)

Free admission for school pupils in class groups, media representatives with a press card, certified austriaguides and holders of the Linz Card, the LINZ KULTURCARD 365, the cultural pass "Hunger auf Kunst und Kultur" and an ICOM Card. On Sundays "Two for One": the higher admission price is paid, the second person is free; children up to 12 free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Level entrance with automatic door, all rooms accessible without barriers, passenger lift to the two upper floors. Loan wheelchair at the ticket desk. Public disabled parking spaces at Dametzstraße 12, 13 and 27. Tours in Austrian Sign Language on announced dates, tours for people with visual impairments on request.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Family rates, family programmes such as during the Children's Culture Week, activity cards and the "Stadtmuse" information booklet for families and school classes, as well as programmes for primary schools, after-school care centres and secondary level.

Getting there & parking

The museum is centrally located and reachable on foot from the city centre in a few minutes; arriving by public transport is recommended. Drivers take exit 12 Linz-Hafenstraße towards the centre on the A7.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Restaurant Orpheus with Greek specialities (tenant Giorgios Nikolaidis) in the building, a ground-floor museum shop in the entrance area, web shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit