Tabakfabrik Linz: A Journey Through 90 Years of Past, Present, and Future

Tabakfabrik Linz is more than just an old factory – it is a living place that is always changing. This exhibition makes this transformation easy to understand. Through 18 different stations, it guides visitors from the early days of the wool factory to the years of tobacco production, and finally to today’s hub for creativity and technology.

The Behrensband: The Turquoise Thread of History

The story is told along a 750-meter-long printed fabric ribbon. This ribbon runs through the hallways from start to finish. Its design looks like cigarette paper and represents factory assembly lines – symbols of progress and precision. It marks special events, connects interactive stations, and uses printed dates to help visitors understand the history.

Contrasts and Provocations

At the start, you will see a huge sign that looks like a classic cigarette warning. Titled »Without Warning«, it is not a health warning, but an invitation: Forget the usual rules and see Tabakfabrik as a fast-moving network where start-ups and CEOs work together every day.

A Journey for All Senses: Scent Station

The factory is not just for your eyes. At the »Scent Cloud« station, you can explore the building with your nose. It is not just about the smell of tobacco. Visitors can press buttons to discover: What does creativity smell like? What is the scent of innovation? It is a chance to experience the factory in a new way.

Prompt Poldi

One highlight is a cigarette vending machine with a built-in AI personality. Poldi was a workers' representative between 1966 and 1975. She knew all the factory secrets – from illegal cigarette trading to the fight for equal pay for women. Thanks to AI technology trained with historical data, Poldi can speak to us again. You can choose a year and listen to her strange and interesting stories.

Window of the Past

A special highlight is the preserved stained-glass window (from before 1935). It shows a meeting between the architect Peter Behrens, the director, and the workers. Today, it acts like a mirror between the past and the present, inviting you to think about the future.

The Conveyor Belt

The exhibition also looks at the present. The »Conveyor Belt« station shows the people who work here today. More than 250 organizations from art, education, and business make up the new »workforce«. The station features a conveyor belt with boxes that look like old tobacco packaging, but with the names of current tenants on them.

Countdown

How fast does time pass? A light curtain with 90 LEDs shows a countdown of the next 90 years. This station visualizes 90 years of development in just 360 seconds – exactly the time it takes to walk through the building.

Audio Aura

The »Audio Aura« is a place to relax. Here, visitors can balance the sounds of »Work« and »Life«. An AI-generated soundscape creates an exciting listening experience.

Austria Tabak

The »Austria Tabak Selfie Station« invites you to become part of the story. You can take a photo with the original factory sign and share your »Tabakfabrik Moment«.

The Lighthouse

An old Viennese »cube clock« has been turned into a light-filled messenger. Instead of clock faces, it has glass discs with text. It is always »five minutes to twelve« here. Everything is moving, and everything is seen in a new light.

This exhibition shows Tabakfabrik Linz as a living monument of change: from industrial production to a creative ecosystem. By using AI, scent experiments, and architecture,

90 years of history blend with visions of tomorrow.