Aussicht Bergbahn Koenigstuhl Heidelberg

The Heidelberg Mountain Railway (german: Heidelberger Bergbahn) is a two-section

funicular railway 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 ...

in the city of

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

, Germany. The first section runs from a lower station at Kornmarkt in Heidelberg's Altstadt, via an intermediate station at

Heidelberg Castle Heidelberg Castle (german: Heidelberger Schloss) is a ruin in Germany and landmark of Heidelberg. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demoli ...

, to an upper station at Molkenkur. Here passengers may change to the second section, which runs up the Königstuhl, a nearby mountain with good views over the city and the

River Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which for ...

. The upper and lower sections of the funicular have different histories and are sometimes referred to separately by the names Königstuhlbahn and Molkenkurbahn respectively. These two sections present quite different appearances, with the upper section using wooden bodied cars of historic appearance, whilst the lower section uses modern style cars. Similarly the upper stations at Molkenkur and Königstuhl are to the original design, whilst those further down the hill at Kornmarkt and Heidelberg Castle present a more modern image. The Heidelberger Bergbahn is operated by the Heidelberger Straßen- und Bergbahn AG (HSB), the operator of buses and

trams in Heidelberg The Heidelberg tramway network (german: Straßenbahnnetz Heidelberg) is a network of tramways forming an important element of the public transport system in Heidelberg, a city in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Opened in 1885, t ...

. The funicular predominantly serves tourist traffic. The lower section runs every ten minutes throughout the day, whilst the connecting upper section runs every twenty minutes throughout the day. The services start at 9 a.m. and end at times that vary from summer to winter.

Lower section

The lower section of the funicular (the ''Molkenkurbahn'') opened in 1890, and its original form used the water ballast system of propulsion, similar to that still used by the

Nerobergbahn The Nerobergbahn is a funicular railway in Wiesbaden, Germany. The line links the city, with a station at the north of the Nerotalanlagen, with the Neroberg hill to its north, which offers a panorama view. History The line opened in 1888, and ...

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

. The line was rebuilt to use a conventional electric drive in 1907. Between 1961 and 1962 the section was rebuilt and new cars provided in order to handle the volume of traffic to Heidelberg Castle; at this time new stations were built at Kornmarkt and Heidelberg Castle. The section was closed between October 2003 and March 2005; during the closure period the existing cars were scrapped and replaced by new and larger cars to a modern design, and Kornmarkt and Heidelberg Castle stations were again rebuilt. The section has the following technical parameters: *Length: ' *Height: ' *Maximum steepness: ''43 %'' *Configuration: '' Single track with

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

'' *Journey time: ''5 minutes'' *Cars: ''2'' *Capacity: ''130 passengers per car'' *

Track gauge In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many ...

: ' *Traction: ''Electricity''

Upper section

The upper section of the funicular (the ''Königstuhlbahn'') opened in 1907, and used a conventional electric drive from the start. It continued to run in its original form until April 2003, when changes to safety regulations forced it to shut down. The section reopened in March 2005; during the closure period the existing cars were rebuilt and provided with new wooden bodies to the original design. The section has the following technical parameters: *Length: ' *Height: ' *Maximum steepness: ''41 %'' *Configuration: ''Single track with passing loop'' *Journey time: ''9 minutes'' *Cars: ''2'' *Capacity: ''50 passengers per car'' *Track gauge: ' *Traction: ''Electricity''

References

Specific

General

Heidelberger Versorgungs- und Verkehrsbetriebe Michael Heidelberger (April 29, 1888 – June 25, 1991) was an American immunologist, often regarded as the father of modern immunology. He and Oswald Avery showed that the polysaccharides of pneumococcus are antigens, enabling him to show tha ...

(Hrsg.), Brigitte Neff: ''Die Heidelberger Bergbahnen. Stationen der Romantik.'' Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher 2006, .

External links