Wallfahrtskirche Postlingberg

Also known as Wallfahrtsbasilika Sieben Schmerzen Mariae

The twin-towered Baroque pilgrimage basilica on the Pöstlingberg hill above Linz is visible from most of the city below, and reaching it used to require a steep tram climb on what was once the steepest adhesion railway in Europe before the line was rebuilt and incorporated into the Linz urban tram network.

The Wallfahrtskirche Postlingberg is the twin-towered Baroque basilica that defines the Linz skyline from the Pöstlingberg hill above the city. Completed in 1748, it is the most visible landmark in the region and the historical center of pilgrimage in Upper Austria. Getting there is part of the experience: the Pöstlingbergbahn, tram line 50, runs from Linz’s Hauptplatz up the steep hill to the church, a 30-minute ride that gives you views over the Danube valley as you climb. Free to enter. The interior is full Baroque, with the gold altarpieces, dramatic ceiling frescoes, and stucco decoration typical of the 18th-century Catholic Counter-Reformation aesthetic. The hilltop view over Linz and the Danube is worth the trip independently of the church. The Grottenbahn fairy-tale railway for children operates on the same hill and can be combined into a family half-day.