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All Russia Svetlogorsk Svetlogorsk Beach Gondolas
AO Edited

Svetlogorsk Beach Gondolas

These tiny cabins on a cableway have been carrying visitors at a Baltic resort down to the beach since 1912.

Svetlogorsk, Russia

Added By
Kris Best
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Svetlogorsk Beach Gondolas   Westpress Kaliningrad archive/CC-BY-SA 4.0
Svetlogorsk Beach Gondolas   Westpress Kaliningrad archive/CC-BY-SA 4.0
Individual gondolas down to the beach of Svetlogorsk   gypsyblue / Atlas Obscura User
Beach at the base of the Svetlogorsk gondola   gypsyblue / Atlas Obscura User
  Dave Collier/CC BY-SA 2.0
Cars on the cableway   A.Savin/Free Art License
Svetlogorsk beach   A.Savin/Free Art License
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About

The Baltic resort of Svetlogorsk in Russia's Kaliningrad region is located on top of a cliff above the sea. To bring visitors down to the beach, the city's unique fleet of tiny yellow gondolas carries just one or two people at a time.

The town became a fashionable vacation spot in the early 19th century, back when the resort was called Rauschen and belonged to the German province of East Prussia. Because a sand dune limited access to the sea, much of the tourism was initially centered around the lake, known as Mühlen-taich (Mill Pond). When a railway was extended to the town in the early 20th century, its popularity grew even further.

The beach gondolas were built in 1912, and originally connected directly to the regional train system through the station Rauschen-Dünen (now "Svetlogorsk II") and provided easy access to the beach. The 90-meter inclined track carried visitors to and from the seashore. 

After 1945, the Russians continued operating the beach gondolas after annexing Rauschen (and renaming it Svetlogorsk) as well as the rest of the northern half of East Prussia into their new Kaliningrad region. Though now it is more than 100 years old, the gondola system has stuck around into the present.

Related Tags

Cable Cars Beaches Resorts

Know Before You Go

The beach gondolas are located next to the train/bus station 'Svetlogorsk II'. A one-way gondola ticket is 50 rubles, approximately €0.60.

Community Contributors

Added By

gypsyblue

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

July 6, 2021

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svetlogorsk,_Kaliningrad_Oblast
  • https://baltexotic.ru/en/sitys/svetl.php
Svetlogorsk Beach Gondolas
3 Letnyaya Ulitsa
Svetlogorsk, 238560
Russia
54.944703, 20.14731
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