Karlovy Vary–Johanngeorgenstadt Railway

The Karlovy Vary–Johanngeorgenstadt railway connects

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

with

Johanngeorgenstadt Johanngeorgenstadt (, ) is a mining town in Saxony’s Ore Mountains, 17 km south of Aue, and 27 km northwest of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the district of Erzgebirgskreis, on the border with the Czech Republic, is a state-recognized hea ...

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The highest point of this mountain railway lies above sea level. The entire line was opened for regular traffic in 1899. The railway station at Pernink is the highest in the

Ore Mountains The Ore Mountains (, or ; ) lie along the Czech–German border, separating the historical regions of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Saxony in Germany. The highest peaks are the Klínovec in the Czech Republic (German: ''Keilberg'') at ab ...

and was for a short time also the highest railway station in the

Bohemian Kingdom The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the predecessor state of the modern Czech Republic. The Kingdom of Bohemia was an Im ...

. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, cross-border traffic was terminated. The track between the

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czecho ...

and

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

was maintained for military reasons only. After the fall of communism in Central Europe in 1989, the newly elected democratic governments of both countries began discussions on the restoration of cross-border traffic; this was finally achieved in 1992. The line is operated by railcars of

ČD Class 814 The ČD class 814 diesel multiple units (colloquially known as "Regionova") are a development of the prototype 812 613 and replace the earlier class 810 DMUs on local railways České dráhy in the Czech Republic. They are formed as 2 cars (C ...

''Regionova''. During periods of heavy snowfall, they are replaced by diesel locomotives of ČD class 714 with two to three BDtax passenger cars. Services of the DB's subsidiary, ''Erzgebirgsbahn'', are worked by Siemens Desiro Classics. {{DEFAULTSORT:Karlovy Vary-Johanngeorgenstadt railway International railway lines Cross-border railway lines in Germany Cross-border railway lines in the Czech Republic Railway lines opened in 1899 Transport in the Ore Mountains Railway lines in the Czech Republic Transport in the Karlovy Vary Region Railway lines in Saxony Erzgebirgskreis 1899 establishments in Europe Czechoslovakia–Germany relations