Schauinslandbahn

The Schauinslandbahn is the longest cable car in Germany. It runs from the base station in Horben in Freiburg im Breisgau on the Schauinsland. The hill station is not on the mountaintop, but a few hundred meters to the southwest and a few dozen feet below. The cable car climbs over a length of 3600 meters, a height difference of 746 meters. The 37 schaffner loose cabins can carry up to 700 passengers per hour, per year, there are around 240,000 passengers.

History

After three years of construction by the company Ernst Heckel from Saarbrücken Schauinslandbahn was taken as the first passenger ropeway in the world on the circulation principle on 17 July 1930 in operation. The architect was Robert Mühlbach ( 1875-1975 ). The ten Greater cabins ( 23 people or 1915 kg permissible total weight ) in which each rode along a conductor, carried the tourists at scheduled times on the mountain. In principle, it is a two-cable orbit, but with the particularity that the web while on each lane has one suspension cable, the cabins are but moved by two traction cables.

There were at that time on the 3600 meter course with a height difference of 746 meters at the same time eight cabins go.

On November 26, 1932 tragic accident overshadowed the hitherto smooth operation of the railway. A towing rope was coupled to the web through a serious operation error of a train conductor. This placed the cabin over the fallen hawser and was leveraged by the support rope just before the base station. The car plunged 13 meters in depth, which three persons ( including the conductor ) were killed. After extensive studies, the basic security of the web has been confirmed, the operation could be resumed in January 1933. Since then, the operation is performed without an accident.

During the Second World War is powered Dodge hospitals on the Schauinsland by train.

In 1987 the operation after 56 years and about 12 million passengers was temporarily halted and began with a fundamental transformation in which the complete control technique has been renewed and the Greater cabins have been removed. The Schauinslandbahn received 37 new, smaller cabins (capacity: maximum of eleven persons or 825 kg ), which need not be accompanied by the attendants. The conversion was completed on December 6, 1988. The entire driving operation was partially automated. This, and the higher number of cabins, a larger transport performance can be achieved. The rides can now be offered on demand, whereby the waiting times have been significantly reduced. At the design principle nothing has been changed, the web is still the longest cable car on the circulation principle in Germany.

As of November 2012, the cable car for around three million euros was overhauled. The two old ropes were exchanged and the two newer crazy to nine meters, so that other locations will be charged. In addition, electrical, drive and brakes were replaced. On April 30, 2013, the cable car went back into operation.

The Schauinslandbahn was appointed by the Memorial Foundation of Baden-Württemberg to the " Monument of the Month September 2013 ".

View from the cable car station

Base station of the Schauinslandbahn