The Turmbergbahn is a defunct

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 ...

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

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 ...

. It was the oldest operating funicular in Germany from its opening in 1888 until its closure in 2024. From

Durlach Durlach is a district in Karlsruhe, Germany, with a population of roughly 30,000. The district is further divided into ''Alt-Durlach'', ''Dornwald-Untermühl'', ''Hanggebiet'', ''Bergwald'', ''Aue'', ''Lohn-Lissen'' and ''Killisfeld''. Histor ...

, the line climbed the Turmberg, which on a clear day provides a lookout point with views of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

Valley, the

Palatinate forest The Palatinate Forest (; ), sometimes also called the Palatine Forest, is a List of landscapes in Rhineland-Palatinate, low-mountain region in southwestern Germany, located in the Palatinate (region), Palatinate in the state of Rhineland-Palatina ...

and the adjacent parts of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

. The line first opened in 1888 by the ''Turmbergbahn Durlach AG'', and in its original form used the water ballast system of propulsion, similar to that still used by the Nerobergbahn in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

. Operation of the funicular was interrupted twice during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, once near the beginning, and again from 1945 to 1946. The line was comprehensively rebuilt in 1966, and the water ballast drive was replaced by a conventional electric drive. It was run by the Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe, the operator of the Karlsruhe

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

and bus system. In 2019, it was decided to extend the tracks of the funicular railway to the foot of the hill bringing it closer to the terminal station of the tram in Durlach. On 29 December 2024, the Turmbergbahn closed, as the technical operating licence ran out the end of that year. The planned renewal and extension received its planning approval in November 2024 and the final decision by Karlsruhe city council to renew the system was taken on 21 January 2025. The funicular had the following technical parameters: *Length: ' *Height: ' *Maximum steepness: ''36.2 %'' *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 o ...

'' *Journey time: ''3 minutes'' *Cars: ''2'' *Capacity: ''52 passengers per car'' *Track gauge: ' *Traction: ''Electricity''

References

External links

*
Page on the Turmbergbahn from its operator
(in German)
Article on the Turmbergbahn from funiculars.net
(in English)
{{coord, 48, 59, 52.34, N, 8, 28, 59.92, E, region:DE_type:landmark, display=title Former water-powered funicular railways converted to electricity Funicular railways in Germany Rail transport in Karlsruhe Metre-gauge railways in Germany Railway lines opened in 1888 1888 establishments in Germany

See also

References

External links