10/20/25, 8:04 AM
When Linz launched the Ars Electronica Festival in 1979, the city was searching for a new identity. Heavy industry was collapsing, the steel crisis hit hard, and local leaders needed an alternative vision. What began as a bold experiment - inviting pioneers of digital art and technology to Upper Austria - has since grown into a global ecosystem of media art, attracting universities, companies, NGOs, and thousands of visitors every year.