The Linzer City Ring wants to give language a stage with its new event format “Wortspiel”. On Friday, September 9th, everything in downtown Linz revolves around the (right) words – whether written, spoken or sung.
The idea for this festival, presented by the OÖ Nachrichten, was born in 2019, as Ursula Fürstberger-Matthey from the Linz City Ring knows: “Communication is a very elementary issue. If you don’t communicate, you don’t know what the other person needs or want.”
In addition to the initial idea – short readings in companies – several more were added over time. The result: a colorful program with poetry slams, concerts and more from 12 noon to 10 p.m. Two cooperative events are included: the “City Reading” on the Domplatz (which takes place from September 8th to 11th) and the couching celebration of the umbrella organization Druck (4 to 6 p.m., near the Landhaus). The trained printers are “baptized” – this tradition, which looks back on more than 500 years of history, is part of the UNESCO cultural heritage.
The “pun” will find space next to the Domplatz and the Landhaus, also in the Bischofstraße, the Spittelwiese, the Herrenstraße and on the Promenande. Fürstberger-Matthey explains that special signposts – on the streets as well as in the shop windows – have already been taken care of. Different subjects with adhesive tapes were developed together with the HTL for construction and design – these can already be seen from today, Wednesday.
There are many highlights, from the concerts to the aforementioned short readings. “You have the opportunity to get to know a book spontaneously and to discover companies that you may not have visited before,” says Fürstberger-Matthey. The anticipation of the festival is great, also because “it’s something completely different than usual”. Her tip for those who are interested: “Come by, have a look and enjoy.”
The opening with Bishop Manfred Scheuer, Mayor Klaus Luger (SP), City Councilor for Culture Doris Lang-Mayerhofer (VP) and City Ring Chairman Matthias Wied-Baumgartner is on the program at 3:30 p.m. The well-known poetry slammer Mieze Medusa will then read from her novel “Du bist dran”. Poetry slammers (U21) are already in action on the Spittelwiese at 2 p.m., and at 7 p.m. at “Clothes make people” there is a reading from Claudia Werner’s work “Useless Knowledge Upper Austria”. From 8.30 p.m., “Yasmo and the Klangkantine” on Domplatz will provide the right rhythm.
Source: Nachrichten
