Eisenbahnmuseum Jünkerath - Vortrag über die „Schiefe Ebene“ in Oberfranken
Oct 4, 2025
Jünkerath-Glaadt
The railway enthusiasts of Jünkerath are, exceptionally, dedicating a lecture program to a topic that only tangentially relates to the railway history of the Eifel and Mosel – yet it resonates particularly among railway fans worldwide.
In the far northeast of Bavaria, near the borders of Saxony, Thuringia, and the Czech Republic, there lies a stretch of track in the district of Kulmbach that was once considered a technical masterpiece: the famous railway incline “Schiefe Ebene”. It is part of the Ludwig South-North Railway, initiated by King Ludwig I of Bavaria, which runs from Lindau on Lake Constance to the former imperial border at Hof (and still does today).
Between the stations Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg (349 m above sea level) and Marktschorgast, the route overcomes 158 meters in altitude over nearly eight kilometers – with a nearly constant gradient of 1:40 (25 ‰). The ramp was put into operation on November 1, 1848, in the revolutionary year, without great celebrations. Remarkably, it was operated solely with locomotives, entirely without technical aids like cable systems. Thus, it served as a model for many later mountain railways, such as the Black Forest Railway, the Geislingen Steige, or the Semmering Railway.
On Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 3 PM, a richly illustrated lecture on the history and operation of this unique route will be held at the Jünkerath Railway Museum.
The speaker will be Jürgen Goller, a recognized railway expert and volunteer at the German Steam Locomotive Museum (DDM) in Neuenmarkt, Franconia. He researches regional railway history, conducts tours, leads seminars on topics such as “Upgrading a Steam Locomotive” or “Technology and Function of the Steam Locomotive” and knows the Schiefe Ebene like few others.
Further information and current announcements can be found on the homepage of the Jünkerath Railway Museum: www.eisenbahnmuseum-juenkerath.de.
Contact:
Railway Friends Jünkerath e.V.
www.eisenbahnmuseum-juenkerath.de
Email: info@eisenbahnmuseum-juenkerath.de
Phone: 01577 – 288 78 13
