The Dresden Funicular Railway (german: Standseilbahn Dresden) is a

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, connecting the districts of

Loschwitz Loschwitz is a borough ('' Stadtbezirk'') of Dresden, Germany, incorporated in 1921. It consists of ten quarters (''Stadtteile''): Loschwitz is a villa quarter located at the slopes north of the Elbe river. At the top of the hillside is the quar ...

, near the "

Blue Wonder Loschwitz Bridge (') is a cantilever truss bridge over the river Elbe in Dresden the capital of Saxony in Germany. It connects the city districts of Blasewitz and Loschwitz, two affluent residential areas, which around 1900 were amongst the most ...

" bridge, and

Weisser Hirsch Weisser is a surname of German origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Morgan Weisser (born 1971), American actor *Norbert Weisser (born 1946), German-born American actor *Katja Schweizer Katja Schweizer (born as Katja Weisser) is a ...

. The railway is one of two funicular railways in Dresden, the other being the unusual

Schwebebahn Dresden The Dresden Suspension Railway (german: Schwebebahn Dresden) is a suspended funicular located in Dresden, Germany, and connects the districts of Loschwitz and Oberloschwitz (Rochwitz side). It is one of the oldest suspension railways, having ...

, a suspended

monorail A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and "rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, ...

. Both lines are operated by the Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG, who also operate the city's

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

and

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

networks.

History

Although the construction of the line had been discussed and planned since 1873, the permit to build the railway was not issued until 1893. The railway was opened on October 26, 1895, and was originally run by a steam engine. In 1910 the line was converted to run on electricity, and in 1912 its operation was transferred to the Dresden municipal tramways, whose successors still operate it. During the

bombing of Dresden The bombing of Dresden was a joint British and American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II. In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 772 heavy bombers of the Roya ...

on the 13 February 1945, the lower station of the funicular was destroyed. However the lines cars had been moved for safety into the line's tunnels and survived. Major renewals took place in 1978 and 1993. On January 6, 2014, the line was again closed for a major refurbishment of both the cars and the line. The refurbishment is expected to be completed by April, 2014 and to cost

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

350,000.

Operation

The funicular operates between 06:30 and 21:00 on weekdays, and between 09:00 and 21:00 at weekends and public holidays. During operating hours there are between four and six journeys per hour in each direction. The line has the following technical parameters:

Gallery

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0927-007, Dresden, Standseilbahn.jpg, Abt switch used in 1895 built Dresden Funicular Railway (photo of 1985) Dresden Loschwitz Standseilbahn 1900.jpg, The line in 1910 Standseilbahn Dresden entrance to lower station.jpg, Entrance to lower station Standseilbahn Dresden - 2010-09-05-6.jpg, The lower station Standseilbahn Dresden an der Bergstation Weißer Hirsch.jpg, The upper station

References

External links

*
Standseilbahn page from Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe web site (in German)

{{coord, 51, 03, 19, N, 13, 48, 58, E, region:DE-SN_type:landmark, display=title Transport in Dresden Railway lines in Saxony Tourist attractions in Dresden Dresden, Standseilbahn Metre gauge railways in Germany Railway lines opened in 1895 Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe

History

Operation

Gallery

See also

References

External links