The Reisszug (also spelt Reißzug or Reiszug ) is a private cable railway providing goods access to the Hohensalzburg Castle at Salzburg in Austria . It is notable for its extreme age, as it is believed to date back to either 1495 or 1504.
7-544: The Reisszug should not be confused with the Festungsbahn , a funicular that provides public access to the Hohensalzburg Castle, and which dates from 1892. The line was first documented in 1515 by Matthäus Cardinal Lang , who would later become Archbishop of Salzburg . These dates would make it the oldest cable railway still in existence, and possibly the oldest existing railway . It has been claimed as
14-508: Is a funicular railway providing access to Hohensalzburg Fortress in Salzburg municipality in Austria . It links the fortress with Festungsgasse, below the northern side of the fortress's walls. The Festungsbahn opened in 1892, and should not be confused with the much older Reisszug line that provides goods access to the castle. The line is operated by Salzburg AG , who also operate
21-577: The city's buses and the Salzburger Lokalbahn . The Festungsbahn opened in 1892 as a water balance funicular operated by the Salzburger Eisenbahn- und Tramwaygesellschaft . Previously used as barracks , the line made the fortress available to a broader range of visitors. The line was rebuilt with new cars and an electric drive in 1960, whilst the lower and upper stations were rebuilt in 1975 and 1976 respectively. In 1991
28-400: The line was again modernised, with the provision of new cars with an increased passenger capacity and a faster line speed. Between January and April 2011, the funicular was again modernized, at a cost of € 4 million. Two new vehicles were provided and the electrical equipment replaced. Panoramic windows offer a better view of the city. The line operates every day from 09:00. The time of
35-502: The oldest funicular railway , although in the absence of evidence that it ever used a counterweight, this is debatable. The Reisszug still traces its original route through the castle's fortifications. It starts from the grounds of the Nonnberg Abbey , below the eastern walls of the castle. It then rises up at a gradient of 65% to the central courtyard of the fortress, on its way passing through five concentric defensive walls. At
42-436: The point where the line passes through each wall is a gateway, each of which can be closed by a sturdy wooden door. The presence and obvious age of the gateways serves to confirm Cardinal Lang's description of the line. The line may have originally used sled -style runners, but wooden rails and wheels were soon adopted. Haulage was accomplished by a hemp rope . Until 1910 the line was operated by human or animal power. Over
49-402: The years the line has been modified and rebuilt several times, most recently between 1988 and 1990. Today it uses steel rails and a steel cable . Traction is provided by an electric motor , and a closed-circuit-television system is used to monitor its operation. In its current incarnation, the line has the following technical parameters: Festungsbahn (Salzburg) The Festungsbahn
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