The Gmunden-Budweis horse-drawn railway

Salt’s progress from water to rail

The medieval salt trade lines the Hapsburg pocket considerably. The white gold from the saltworks of the Salzkammergut is exported as far as Bohemia.

To reach Austria’s acquired territories, the salt has a long journey; after being transported on water to Linz, it must continue on land by horse and cart, which is no less arduous. At the end of the 18th century there are nearly 350 horse-drawn carts in operation every day, with 17,000 tonnes of salt being transported yearly.

To take care of this enormous volume of cargo in less time, the Gmunden-Budweis horse-drawn railway is opened in stages between 1827 and 1836. It is the second public railway on the European continent and little by little supersedes salt transport on the Traun. The Gmunden-Budweis line boasts 197 kilometres. From 1855 the railway starts changing over to steam, the last horse-drawn carts leave Gmunden in December of 1872.