The municipal council of the city of Linz from 1968 until today

Press release from: 14.01.2021
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• Reference work on recent city history

In 2016, the municipal council commissioned the archive of the city of Linz to create a sequel to the book “The Municipal Representation of the City of Linz from 1848 to the Present”, published in 1968, which is valued and frequently used as a reference work by politics and administration, the media and those interested in history has been.
Mayor Klaus Luger is pleased that the project has now been successfully completed: “The archive of the city of Linz has done meticulous research. The book is convincing not only because of its extensive data and factual material, but also because of its scientific contributions to Linz politics over the past fifty years. “

Cultural advisor Doris Lang-Mayerhofer is also impressed by the conception of the publication: “I find it particularly successful that it is not just a reference work, but that all the detailed information is embedded in a narrative that provides an outline of the recent political history of the City of Linz offers. “

Data and facts on city politics

The publication contains the achievements of the city politics during the term of office of the mayors Edmund Aigner, Theodor Grill, Franz Hillinger, Hugo Schanovsky, Franz Dobusch and Klaus Luger.

The book also contains the biographies of six mayors, 48 ​​members of the city senate and 322 councilors.

Contributions to the composition of the city government and the municipal council since 1968, to the legal framework as well as to the municipal council elections complete the presentation.

Increase in the proportion of women in city politics

While there were only two women on the municipal council in 1946 and only six in 1980, the number of female councilors has risen sharply in recent decades and in 2015 reached 29 local councilors, almost 50 percent.

Anny Grestenberger was not appointed as the first city councilor until 1967. In 1979 Edeltraud Hofer became the first woman to become vice mayor. Since September 2017, for the first time in history, as many women as men have been represented in the city government.

The terms of office of Mayors Edmund Aigner and Theodor Grill

The terms of office of Mayors Edmund Aigner (1962–1968) and Theodor Grill (1968–1969) were still partly shaped by the consequences of the Second World War. Even if the war damage itself had already been repaired, there was still much to be done for urban policy in the areas of housing, infrastructure and transport. Under the sign of good economic development, it was also possible to tackle more far-reaching cultural and educational projects, the culmination of which was the establishment of the University of Social and Economic Sciences in 1966 (today’s JKU) was. In 1969 the groundbreaking ceremony for the Brucknerhaus took place.

The term of office of Mayor Franz Hillinger

During the 15-year term of office of Mayor Franz Hillinger (1969–1984), numerous urban policy measures were taken that permanently changed the image of Linz. This affected major structural projects such as the new building of the General Hospital or the New Town Hall, as well as transport policy decisions. The creation of the first pedestrian zones is to be seen as a counterpoint to the fundamentally car-friendly transport policy, as well as the extension of the tram lines. The city’s growth was taken into account with new schools and the establishment of childcare facilities. Numerous projects for sports and leisure facilities can also be seen in this sense.

The term of office of Mayor Hugo Schanovsky

During the term of office of Mayor Hugo Schanovsky (1984–1988), the major projects initiated by his predecessor, the New Town Hall and the first stage of the new building of the General Hospital, were brought to a conclusion. The nationalized crisis required cautious decisions from city politicians. During this time there was movement in the political spectrum: with initially different groups, the young green movement pushed into urban politics. Environmental policy also took on a new role in the thinking of the other parties: a comprehensive package of measures made Linz “the cleanest industrial city in Austria”.

The term of office of Mayor Franz Dobusch

Short-term mayor Schanovsky was followed by long-term mayor Franz Dobusch (1988–2013). The main focus of the municipal council during its term of office was an active economic policy, the improvement of the Linz air, the expansion of the social offer, the promotion of culture, the expansion of educational offers, the coming to terms with the Nazi past of the city, the construction of sports facilities, leisure and green spaces, urban development with a sense of proportion with the greatest possible protection of the green belt, the expansion of the transport infrastructure and the health system as well as a leaner city administration. During this time it was also possible to make the successes of Linz politics visible throughout Austria in an image campaign. The change was also noticeable in cultural policy and culminated in the presentation of Linz as the European Capital of Culture in 2009. In 1997 the mayor of Linz was directly elected for the first time.

The term of office of Mayor Klaus Luger

Klaus Luger started in November 2013 with a comprehensive agenda: A structural reform of the municipal authorities and the corporate group of the city of Linz should pave the way for the process of digitization of the city administration. Further building blocks on the way from Linz to the “innovation capital” are the tobacco factory and the international recognition as “UNESCO City of Media Arts”. Building on the characteristics and strengths of Linz such as adaptability, social and family-friendly cooperation, innovative industry, lots of green space, digital art, culture for everyone and the positioning as a city of peace, the vision of a “Future City of Respect” was developed. Other important focal points of city policy include traffic with the construction of two Danube bridges and the planning for a light rail in the east of the city as well as the creation of affordable housing. Last but not least, the global corona pandemic is a particular challenge for Linz city politics.

Biographies of the members of the city senate and municipal council

The biographical part of the publication begins with a description of the résumés of the individual Linz mayors. This is followed by brief descriptions of all 48 members of the city senate since 1968 as well as the biographies of all municipal council mandates. In addition to the essential key data on the life of the individual persons, this overview includes the names of all committees, advisory boards and boards of trustees in which the person was active as well as a list of assignments to committees outside the city. If information was available, non-political activities and honors are also recorded.

For publication

Walter Schuster and Cornelia Daurer (Ed.), The municipal council of the city of Linz from 1968 until today.
Historical yearbook of the city of Linz 2019/20, 523 pages, numerous illustrations, price: 35 euros, ISBN 978-3-900388-64-5
Available in the Linz shop and over [email protected] and in bookshops.