Schwebebahn Dresden

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwebebahn_D...

The Schwebebahn Dresden, like the Schwebebahn Wuppertal, is a curious sort of cable car.

Rather than stand on rails like a normal cable car, it hangs on a single rail from above. The Schwebebahn Dresden connects the urban parts of Loschwitz and Oberloschwitz and runs on a nearly 900-foot track, held up by 33 towers, of which the tallest has a height of about 46 feet.

The Schwebebahn or “floating train” of Dresden was designed by Eugen Langen, who built also the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal, and it went into service in 1901, making it the oldest suspension railway in the world.

It was out of service between 1984 and 1992 as it was being restored. Despite looking much more precarious than your standard cable car, or trolley, the Schwebebahns have an immensely good safety record.

Know Before You Go

The total cost up and back with the card is 5 euros per person. If you have a Dresden City Card, there is a discount. Be sure to go around to the back of the building at the top station and take the elevator to the uppermost level for a perfect view of Dresden. The internal staircase down also has many mementos and photos of the history of the suspension railway.