Opening ceremony of Zaliakalnis Funicular Railway

Žaliakalnis Funicular (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: ''Green Hill Funicular'') is a

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 ends ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. Built in 1931, it is the oldest funicular in Lithuania and is among the oldest vehicles of such type in the world still operational. The funicular is made of a wood-paneled coachwork and climbs up from behind the

Vytautas the Great War Museum The Vytautas the Great War Museum () is a museum in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was built in Art Deco and early functionalism style. Originally it was established in 1921 by Vladas Nagevičius but later it was decided to move to a larger location. A ...

to the Basilica of the Resurrection. Upon the city council decision to improve the communication between the

Žaliakalnis Žaliakalnis (literally, "the green hill") is a neighbourhood and Elderships of Lithuania, eldership () in Lithuania's second largest city, Kaunas. Žaliakalnis is located north of the old town and the city center area, between the Neris and Girstu ...

neighborhood with city center, the funicular was constructed by engineering firm Curt Rudolph Transportanlagen from

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

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 ...

with electrical equipment from

AEG The initials AEG are used for or may refer to: Common meanings * AEG (German company) ; AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was established in 1883 by Emil Rathenau as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte El ...

and mechanical parts from

Bell Maschinenfabrik A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be mad ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The official opening was on 5 August 1931 with one passenger car, while the second car was only a platform ballasted with stones used to counterbalance the passenger car. The electric overhead power cable and the pantographs of the coaches are only used for lighting and heating of the cars. The upper station housed the electrically driven funicular mechanism in the basement, whilst the lower end of the line did not even have a shelter until 1932. The funicular succeeded and became very popular transportation for the city inhabitants and guests. It is known that about 5 million passengers were moved using it between 1950 and 1970. The funicular was renovated between 1935 and 1937. New, larger cars with car bodies from Napoleonas Dobkevičius on underframes from Bell Maschinenfabrik were built, and the lower station was given a proper building. The Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway was included in the Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage Sites of the Republic of Lithuania in 1993. In 2015, the funicular was one of 44 objects in Kaunas to receive the

European Heritage Label The European Heritage Label is a recognition awarded by the European Union to buildings, documents, museums, archives, monuments, and events which are seen as milestones in the creation of today's Europe. The program is managed by the European Com ...

References

1931 establishments in Lithuania Transport in Kaunas Buildings and structures in Kaunas Funicular railways in Lithuania Tourist attractions in Kaunas Heritage railways Narrow-gauge railways in Lithuania 1200 mm gauge railways in Lithuania {{Lithuania-struct-stub

See also

References