Mendel Funicular
| Mendola funicular | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | passenger |
| Status | still working |
| Termini | Überetsch Railway station Sankt Anton, Kaltern Mendelpass |
| Stations | 2 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | October 19, 1903 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 2.370 km |
| Track gauge | 1000 mm |
| Electrification | yes |
The Mendel Funicular, (German: Mendelbahn, Italian: Funicolare Mendola), connects the Überetsch plateau with the Mendelpass.
Contents |
[edit] Track
In the twelve minutes of the journey the visitor rises 854 meters. The whole track is located in a rocky region sometimes covered by a forest, and this needs many bridges and tunnels.
[edit] History
The funicular was planned by Emil Strub to connect Bolzano with the Mendelpass. In 1903 Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria opened the line itself after nearly one year of construction. The line was at the time one of the lengthiest funiculars in Europe. Until 1934 tourists could use the funicular and some other railways to made a journey around the Mendel.
[edit] Today
Today the line is still working, and often used by tourists to reach the Mendelpass. In 2004 there has been an accident on the funicular, in which a driver lost his life.
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Arriving at Mendelpass
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On the line
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View from behind the driver
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At the Mendelpass
[edit] Literature
- Josef Dultinger: Vergessene Vergangenheit. Verlag Dr. Rudolf Erhard, Rum 1982
- Josef Dultinger: Auf schmaler Spur durch Südtirol. Verlag Dr. Rudolf Erhard, Rum 1982
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