The Döbeln Tramway or ''Döbelner Straßenbahn'' is a tramway in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

town of

Döbeln Döbeln ( hsb, Doblin) is a town in Saxony, Germany, part of the Mittelsachsen district, on both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde. History * 981: First written mention of Döbeln (Margravate of Meissen). * Around 1220: Döbeln is described ...

. It is the only

horse-drawn tram A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, wh ...

line to operate on its original urban route in Germany, and one of only a handful in the world. The Döbeln Tramway was built in 1892 and connected the town's railway station with its market square until 1926, when it was replaced by a

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 ...

. Throughout its period of operation it remained horse-drawn, and was one of the last such of such lines to remain in operation in Germany. Even after it ceased operation, some of its tram track remained in place and served as a reminder of the old line. Occasional suggestions to restore the line surfaced over the years of closure but, until the beginning of the 21st century, no action was taken. In 2002 flooding in the centre of Döbeln caused serious damage and required significant restoration work to restore the town's streets. As part of this work, the opportunity was taken to relay of track from Obermarkt to Theatre. A former

Meißen Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechts ...

tram dating from 1899, and used for the last 30 years as a

henhouse Poultry farming is the form of animal husbandry which raises domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to produce meat or eggs for food. Poultry – mostly chickens – are farmed in great numbers. More than 60 billion ch ...

, was acquired and restored as Döbeln Tramway 1. The line reopened on 9 June 2007. The line is operated by the Traditionsverein Döbelner Pferdebahn e.V. and, in 2011, was scheduled to operate on the first Saturday of each month from May to October.

References

External links

*
Homepage of the Traditionsverein Döbelner Pferdebahn e.V.
(in German)

(in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobeln Tramway tramway Heritage streetcar systems Horse-drawn railways Horse-drawn trams in operation Metre gauge railways in Germany Railway lines opened in 1892 Tram transport in Germany Transport in Saxony