Old Cathedral, Linz

Old Cathedral, Linz tickets: which one to buy

The Old Cathedral, also called the Ignatius Church, stands on a street just off the main square in the centre of Linz, and entry is free. It is often overshadowed by the enormous New Cathedral a few minutes to the south, but the two make a good pair, and seeing both gives a sense of how the city's ambitions changed between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries. For music lovers the Old Cathedral has a special attraction: the composer Anton Bruckner was organist here for twelve years, and his organ is still in use.

Organ recitals and concerts are held regularly, particularly during the Brucknerfest in September. Walking tours of the old town usually pass the church along with the main square, the Trinity Column and the Landhaus. The church is active, and visiting pauses during services. Nothing needs booking, and a visit takes a quarter of an hour. The church door is on the Domgasse, a lane leading south from the main square.

Visiting Old Cathedral, Linz: what to see

The church was built by the Jesuits between 1669 and 1678 and served as the cathedral of the diocese of Linz from 1785 until the New Cathedral was consecrated in 1909. It is a baroque church with a twin-towered facade facing the street and a wide, bright interior with side chapels, rich stucco work, marble altars and ceiling paintings. The high altar, with columns of red marble, frames a painting of the Assumption of the Virgin. The pulpit and choir stalls are finely carved.

The most famous object is the organ in the west gallery, originally built for the abbey of Engelszell and brought here, which Anton Bruckner played as cathedral organist from 1856 to 1868, during the period when he developed as a composer before moving to Vienna. A memorial plaque recalls his time in Linz. The church also holds the tomb of a Jesuit astronomer and a number of baroque paintings. The side chapels hold altarpieces by Austrian baroque painters, and the ceiling stucco frames small painted medallions of Jesuit saints. The facade faces a narrow street, so the full height of the towers is best seen from the corner of the main square.

Old Cathedral, Linz opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily, usually from morning until evening. Mornings are quiet. The Brucknerfest in September brings concerts across the city, some in this church, and the open-air Klangwolke sound and light show on the Danube. December brings Christmas markets to the main square and the Volksgarten. Summer is pleasant for strolling along the river and taking the historic tram up the Postlingberg hill.

Linz is a short train ride from Salzburg and Vienna and is also reached by Danube river cruises. Allow about fifteen minutes for the church, more if a recital is under way, and walk on to the New Cathedral for contrast. The Lentos art museum and the Ars Electronica Center face each other across the Danube a short walk north.