Fortress Linz-Warte Edelburga

The Linz Tower Fortification, or Maximilian Tower Line, was a fortification system built in the early 19th century. It consisted of a belt of fortified towers around the city of Linz and is also known as the Danube Fortress Linz, the Entrenched Camp of Linz, or the Maximilian Fortification System.

The construction of the Linz Tower Line goes back to an initiative by Archduke Maximilian Joseph of Austria-Este. His experiences from 1809, when it was not possible to stop Napoleon on his advance to Vienna, likely played a role. Maximilian therefore proposed an imperial fortification system in which strategically important places would be defended by a line of freestanding towers. However, only the fortification of Linz was realized.

Basic Idea

A ring of freestanding fortified towers (so-called detached works) is built around the city to be defended, forming a far advanced defensive line so that the enemy's cannons cannot reach the city. The towers themselves are strongly fortified and equipped with cannons. The distance between the towers is such that they can cover each other. If the attacker succeeded in conquering a tower, it could be shelled from the neighboring towers. Several thousand soldiers could be deployed within the tower line.

This system was already proposed by Marc-René Marquis de Montalembert in the second half of the 18th century. However, Montalembert's towers were too elaborate and expensive to be built in large numbers. Maximilian preferred to build simpler, but more densely arranged towers. He also protected his towers with a glacis, from which only the upper part of the tower protruded. Furthermore, Maximilian dispensed with fortifying the core work.

The Test Tower on Freinberg

In 1828, Maximilian had a test tower built on Freinberg near Linz at his own expense. With this tower, demolition tests and test bombardments were carried out in the presence of Emperor Franz I. Maximilian's opponents wanted to make this test fail through unfair experimental conditions. Nevertheless, the test tower essentially passed its baptism of fire.

Since the final tower line was built at a greater distance around the city, the test tower could no longer be used. Maximilian had the tower extended and a chapel (Maximilian Chapel) built next to it. He donated the tower and chapel to the Jesuits. Today, the tower is part of the Kollegium Aloisianum, a Catholic private school.

The Construction of the Tower Line

The construction of the tower fortification began in 1831. To speed up the construction, Maximilian had pre-financed it with his own capital. By 1833, most of the structures were completed. Due to the rectification of construction defects and the sometimes sluggish military equipment, the tower line could only be handed over to the military in 1838. Test bombardments took place before the handover.

From the start of construction, the tower line was visited by numerous domestic and foreign guests, by officers, diplomats, princes, and also by Emperors Franz I and Ferdinand I. Most visitors expressed positive opinions, which was a satisfaction for Maximilian-Joseph.

Abandonment of the Fortification

Already in 1858, just 20 years later, the fortification system was abandoned. Advances in weapon technology – cannons with rifled barrels had a greater range and ammunition effect – severely limited its strategic value. Furthermore, many towers were already dilapidated.

During the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, the towers north of the Danube were briefly reactivated, causing unrest in the city. During the Bosnian Campaign of 1878, towers 9 and 10 served as prisoner-of-war camps. In the First World War, tower 9 was used as an ammunition and supply depot and is still known today as the "Pulverturm" (Powder Tower). Individual towers were already sold in the 1860s. The remaining towers were handed over to the financial directorate for sale in the 1870s.