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FORTRESS OF LINZ

When fighting against Austria Napoleon had two choices: to advance north of Alps along the Danube river or south of Alps over the plain of the river Po. In 1797 he picked the southern rout, crossing to Carinthia up the Soca (Isonzo) river valley. But in his campaign of 1809 he traversed Bavaria and followed the stream of the Danube river. This inevitably brought the majority of his forces to the confluence of the rivers Danube and Traun near Linz, making the bridge over Traun at Edelsberg a site of a fierce battle. Archduke Maximilian decided to prevent the repeat of the carnage, protect the city of Linz and block the passage along the Danube river by fortifying the city of Linz. He set off to design the most suitable fortifications and arrived to a design that represented a revolution in the fortification building. It was followed and verified on a large scale only a century later. Rather than encircling the city with continuos wall with bastions and revelins, he shrank the defences to a circle of single, independent towers, blocking the passage between them not by a wall but by artillery fire alone. Furthermore he sank these towers under the terrain level, making them very small and hard to hit targets. Thus they represent early forefathers of combat blocks of early twentieth century. When an experimental tower was built and exposed to a heavy artillery bombardment the army was convinced and the plan was approved. However Duke Maximilian had to finance the enterprise himself, under the understanding that the Imperial Treasury will repay him in yearly instalments. The construction of the fortress started in 1828 and by 1836 the ring of towers was completed together with a fortress (citadedel) on Postlingberg, a hill west of the town, where the defenses headquarters were stationed. Fort's aim was double: to protect the city from the enemy and to protect the authorities from revolutionary citizens. When it comes to French army, it's mission was a failure. After 1813 French armies never again appeared in this part of Europe and the fortress became obsolete. It was decommissioned in the early 1860's. and despite it's extremely innovative design soon almost completely forgotten by locals and world's literature alike.

	One of the better preserved towers on the hill above Linz. Note the removable roof construction. In peace time it served as a roof but in a war time it was removed to allow the guns at the top platform to operate. It was supposed to be reassembled nearby to serve as a tent for troops or supplies.
	This rough sketch depicts the basic idea about the Linz Fort defence. Single independent tower hidden below the surface level can be regarded as the direct ancestor of the "modern" combat blocks, connected with underground casemates. Small guns, mounted on the top platform and firing shrapnels, had a role of repelling the approaching enemy infantry or cavalry from the tower itself while broader tactical role was reserved for the howitzers in a lower storey.
	Little less than half of the original towers have survived to this day. Some were converted in homes, others serve as warehouses. They are in a different state of preservation.
	This tower has been recently converted into a gallery.
	Some towers are "closed for business", serving as warehouses, such as this one owned by the Red Cross Society.
	Here the drawbridge is still in function.
	The main fortress' gateway. The citadele (Zitadelle), placed on the crest of Postlingsberg, the rise west of the city, is nowadays a polpular venue for both tourists and locals.
	The citadel can be reach by a steep tram line, built a century ago and still featuring some of the original carriages.
	One of the citadel's bastions have been converted into an upper tram line terminus.
	Part of the citadel's wall. While the details may look quite old fashioned, the concept of the fort was almost a century ahead of it's time.
	Panorama of Linz as seen from the citadel.

THE ARCHITECT OF THE FORTRESS Archduke Maximilian Josef, a third son of Ferdinand I., Duke of Modena (of the Habsburg family) and Beatrix Este was born on July 14, 1782. After the war of 1792 he fled from Italy to the court at Vienna. He was participating in two campaigns against Napoleon (1805 and 1809) and at both occasions he came to the area of Linz and Edelsberg where he was upset by the lack of fortifications needed for successful defense of strategically important bridges over the Danube and Traun rivers. Professional soldier without a family and with virtually limitless financial resources he devoted the rest of his life to the construction of the suitable fortress, first by lobbying for it and later building it. His commitment can be found not only in the very innovative concept but also in the grate care and aesthetic taste shown in the design of it's details. He also wrote a couple of theoretical works on warfare and acted as an adviser on some other important fortification works. His influence is very evident in fortifications of then Austrian Imperial Navy port of Pola (Pula, present day Croatia) and defenses of Verona. He died on first of June, 1863 in Vienna.

E-mail your comments or inquiries. Visit also ARS CARTAE pictorial maps gallery of Alpe-Adria regions (Slovenia, NE Italy, Croatia...) Author would like to thank Mr. Christian Woisetschlaeger and other friends from "Linzer Zweier" Association for familiarising him with the Fortress of Linz and providing the data for this page.

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