The construction history of the Budweis-Linz-Gmunden horse-drawn railway

The first on the European continent

Before the construction of the horse-drawn railway, which began in Bohemia, transporting salt overland between Linz and Budweis and between Gmunden and Linz on the River Traun, was very expensive.

The solution to the problem came from England, where engineer Franz-Josef Gerstner heard about new rail transport routes for coal transport. He studied the rail networks on site and suggested using them to transport salt between Budweis and Linz. Gerstner presented a detailed plan in Vienna and was awarded the contract for its realisation.

Construction work began at the end of July 1825 with the ground-breaking ceremony in Neffebice. However, there were numerous challenges, such as the difference in altitude of 540 metres and resistance from local communities who were involved in transporting the salt and feared for their source of income. In 1828, financial problems led to Gerstner's resignation. By this time, the railway had been completed as far as Kerschbaum, which was already more than halfway through the project. It was then decided to complete the line at a lower cost, without being geared towards steam operation. The northern line was opened to traffic on 1 August 1832.

Emperor Franz travelled to the opening with his wife, although he was an enemy of all innovations, both politically and economically. Franz I was deeply convinced of his divine right and rejected anything that even hinted at the rights of the people. Franz and the Metternich system were extremely conservative in character and any reform or change, no matter how small, seemed suspicious. This was also the case in terms of economic policy, with the result that Austria had some difficulty keeping pace with the economic and technological developments of the first half of the 19th century.