Starting at the 1st of march, the Grottenbahn is open again! We are looking forward to seeing you!
The Grottenbahn on Pöstlingberg mountain
Do you believe in dragons, witches and dwarves? No? Well what about your children? Take them on a ride on the Grottenbahn and see for yourself:
Fire-breathing dragons, gingerbread witches and ever-busy dwarves do exist!
And they are not as shy as you might think. Quite on the contrary - they look forward to your visit and want to show you their fairy tale land.
Is there anything better than treating your children to some fun? Oh yes! Treating the whole family to some fun! We invite you and your kids to a whole new world - to a place full of surprises. Up on the Pöstlingberg there are no limits to fantasy - give it a go and enjoy a ride on the dragon train Lenzibald through the realm of the dwarves.
And don’t forget the joys of giving! Stop by at our gift shop and choose from a wide variety of souvenirs and presents for the old and the young. Some of them are hand-made by the dwarves!
For more information, download the booklet below:
I'm so much looking forward to seeing Lenzibald again!Lena, 8 years old
Period |
Time |
|---|---|
1 March to 31 May |
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
1 June to 31 August |
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
1 September to 1 November |
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
Sundays in Advent & 8 December |
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
24 December |
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Please be aware that the last ride is always 30 minutes before the end of the day.
Ticket |
Price |
|---|---|
Individual Tickets |
|
Adults |
€ 6.40 |
Children |
€ 3.80 |
Family-Ticket |
|
2 Adults, 2 Children (2-15 years) |
€ 17.20 |
every additional child |
€ 1.60 |
Group tickets (min. 10 people) |
|
Adults |
€ 5.10 |
Children (2-15 years) |
€ 3.00 |
General information:
- Parking available (also for coaches)
- Wheelchair accessible stair lift
- Due to fire regulations, pushchairs/buggies are not allowed indoors.
- We love dogs, but please understand that they have to wait outside.
- Please schedule approximately one hour to visit the Grottenbahn.
The beginning
Once upon a time...
In 1897, the predecessor of Linz AG, then called Tramway und Elektrizitätsgesellschaft Linz-Urfahr (TEG) bought the fort on Pöstlingberg, erected as part of the fortification system developed by Archduke Maximilian of Austria Este in the 1830s. One of the fortification towers was converted into the mountain station of the Pöstlingbergbahn. In 1906, the Grottenbahn was inaugurated in a second tower upon the insistence of Franz Scheinig, then TEG director.
The tower train rails were built into the outermost ring of the fortification tower II. In order to create the right atmosphere, the walls and ceilings were made to convey the image of a grotto and equipped with atmospheric lights.
As early as on 6 August 1906, the electrical tower train on Pöstlingberg celebrated its inauguration. From then on, a motor coach with a dragon head and several carriages did his rounds on the tracks. A ride on the dragon train comprised 4 rounds, three of them under changing lights, the fourth in total darkness – except for a sign saying “No kissing”! In 1911 another attraction was installed in the lower floor of the tower: Visitors from around the world were welcomed by living olms! Of course, this wasn’t the only exhibition visitors could marvel at in the tower of the Grottenbahn over the years: Between 1917 and 1919, the office for war welfare established a war museum there. After that, the lower floor was not used for many years until in 1936, the landscape painter Ludwig Haase painted a replica of the medieval main square of Linz on linen canvases. These paintings, as well as fairy tale scenes and prepared animals, stuffed by the taxidermist Bernhard Stolz, were presented to the visitors.
Laborious reconstruction
On January 1945, the Grottenbahn was seriously damaged by a bomb. The sculptor Friederike Stolz, daughter of the zoologist Bernhard Stolz, was entrusted with the reconstruction. She converted the dragon train circuit into the realm of the dwarves and equipped the walls of the tower with niches presenting scenes from the life of the dwarves that she brought to life with her own hands and lots of skill and love.
On 1 May 1948 the new Grottenbahn was inaugurated. Except for the original floorplan, everything was new. All the scenes had been redone and have remained unchanged ever since. On the upper floor, the newly designed dragon train Lenzibald toured the realm of the dwarves. As of Easter 1950, the lower floor was also opened to the public again. The replica of the main square was now a brick construction at a scale of 1:7 and represented the main square at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. Back then and up until today, the streets leading to the main square present well-known scenes from fairy tales, mainly by the Brothers Grimm, with original figures made by Friederike Stolz and stuffed animals made by her father Bernhard Stolz.
As of 1950, life-sized scenes from famous fairy tales were added in the streets adjacent to the replica of the main square. Now, even a fairy tale world needs some modernisation once in a while. That is why, in 1994, a new room was added to house a cashier desk and a souvenir shop, and one year later our dragon mascot Sebastian was born. Since 1997, the dragon of the Grottenbahn has been breathing fire.
In 1999, the fairy tale scenes were carefully made over and equipped with light and sound effects. In 2002 the ill rabbit returned from a longer absence for treatment. The year after that, our dwarves from the art workshop redid the toilet facilities. In 2005, the dragon’s head was equipped with a new smoke machine, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the Grottenbahn that its inhabitants celebrated with many visitors in 2006.
Friederike Renate Stolz
(23 January 1913 – 14 July 1989)
Without her, the Grottenbahn as you can see it today would not exist: The Austrian potter and sculptor Friederike Stolz can rightly be called the ‘Mother of the Grottenbahn’. She was the mastermind behind the reinvention of this attraction of the city after the destructions of the Second World War.
She developed plans for the new fairy tale world and put them into practice with her team. Her artwork was valued throughout her life – in addition to the Grottenbahn she created monuments, statues and ceramic artwork and undertook restoration work in churches.
In 1987 she received the certificate of recognition of the city of Linz and in 1988 the silver medal for services to the federal province of Upper Austria.Until today, Friederike Stolz has played a role in the Grottenbahn – you can find her looking down curiously from one of the windows of the main square replica.
The Grottenbahn after 1994
1994 marked the beginning of a very careful modernisation of the Grottenbahn, allowing it to keep its original charms:
• 1994: Construction of a new entrance area with souvenir shop.
• 1996: Our dragon Sebastian was invented and became the mascot of the Grottenbahn.
• 1997: Dragon train Lenzibald was equipped with a smoke machine and became a fire-breathing dragon.
• 1999: Beginning of a gentle modernisation (light and sound effects) of the fairy tale and dwarf groups.
• 2001: The scene ‘The sick rabbit’ was removed to give way to an emergency exit. A new smoke evacuation and fire alarm system was installed to ensure the safety of the visitors.
• 2002: After countless requests to bring it back, the sick rabbit returned to the Grottenbahn and found a new home in the waiting area.
• 2003: The washrooms were renovated in the style and decorated with themes of the Grottenbahn.
• 2012: As the Grottenbahn is known for its runny-nosed dwarves, the dwarf ‘Naseputz‘ (‘Blow-my Nose‘) was installed in a place of honour easily accessible for visitors to help him out with a handkerchief.
• 2016: The Grottenbahn celebrated its 110th anniversary and two new attractions were installed: The Magic Mirror turns visitors into fairy tale figures and the Crazy Book of Fairy Tales invites them to be creative and have fun.
• 2017: 111th anniversary – the party goes on with the ‘Fabulous Barrel Organ’ inviting visitors to listen closely. On the main square, the facades of the buildings come to life – don’t miss it!
4021 Linz
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