In 2009 Linz in Austria will be European Capital of Culture (together with Vilnius). The artist Werner Horvath, born and living in Linz, created a large painting about the city, which also deals with historical facts.

"Linz - European Capital of Culture 2009", oil on canvas, 2 x 2 m, 2008.

Above you can see the creation-process - Werner Horvath painting Linz. From left: state in January 2008, in the end of February, in the beginning of April 2008 and in the beginning of May 2008.

The main square of Linz with its old Town-Hall and the Column of Trinity.

Today everything seems to be rosy. But the dwarf and the king of frogs  - two well known figures of the "Grottenbahn", a world of fairy tales - are looking back on a history of change.

This history was not always full of glory - and exactly this we shouldn't forget (below):

The painting with explanations (in German) as HTML-File.

The painting was also published in "Best of Worldwide Oil Artists", Volume I, Kennedy Publishing, Williamsburg USA, ISBN 757 564-6261.

More about NS-history (in German): Für eine bessere Zukunft - Bilder zur NS-Vergangenheitsaufarbeitung