What it is
Lower Austria was governed from Vienna until 1986, when St. Pölten was chosen as its capital; the provincial government and parliament moved into the new Landhausviertel in 1997. The district, designed by Ernst Hoffmann and other architects, combines office buildings with a cultural quarter that includes the Festspielhaus concert hall, the Museum Niederösterreich and the provincial library.
The Klangturm, the steel-and-glass 'sound tower', has a viewing platform with a wide view over the town and the Traisen valley. The riverside promenade along the Traisen is popular with walkers and cyclists.
Getting there by bus
The Landhaus Klangturm stop is right at the foot of the tower, served by city lines 2 and 9 and regional buses 103 and 105; Landhaus Kulturbezirk and Landhaus Süd are nearby on the same lines. The walk from the Rathausplatz takes about ten minutes.
The Museum Niederösterreich and the Festspielhaus are both a couple of minutes away.
