Biologiezentrum Linz

The Biologiezentrum Linz stands in the Dornach-Auhof district of Linz. It is a research and collection facility run by the Upper Austrian Cultural Board. The building was once part of a Second World War labour camp, later adapted for scientific use. The centre holds one of Europe’s largest natural-science collections. It was founded in 1833 by Anton Ritter von Spaun and moved to its present site in 1993. In 2007 it joined the CETAF network of taxonomic institutions, and in 2020 it became the Biodiversitätszentrum Oberösterreich. Visitors find more than five million invertebrate specimens and 1.1 million plant records. A twelve-thousand-square-metre park surrounds the building, planted with local habitats such as peat pools and granite boulders. Rare butterflies like the Heller Wiesenknopf-Ameisenbläuling live among the displays and outdoor exhibits.