About this place
The Nibelungenbrücke is Linz's central Danube crossing, carrying traffic, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians between the baroque Hauptplatz and the modern Urfahr district. Built between 1938 and 1940, it replaced a 19th-century iron bridge and was conceived by the Nazi regime as a monumental symbol, named after the Germanic Nibelungen saga and guarded by two matching neoclassical bridgehead buildings that today house the University of Arts. Beneath the calm elegance of its granite lies a difficult history, yet the riverfront around it has become one of the city's most beloved gathering places. Stand at its centre and you can take in almost the entire highlights loop in a single glance: the glowing Lentos museum, the mirrored Ars Electronica Center, the castle on its hill, and the twin towers of the Pöstlingberg crowning the skyline, all reflected in the green water of the Danube.
Key facts
- 250 meters — The length of the bridge as it spans the Danube between the old town and Urfahr
- 1940 year — Completed after two years of construction, replacing an iron bridge from 1872
- 4 statues — Monumental Nibelungen heroes were planned for the bridgeheads but never installed
📍 Hauptstraße, 4040, Linz