UNESCO World Heritage Site. Semmering Railway, Austria.

The Semmering Railway is the world's first mountain railway. The oldest section with a length of 42 km, built in 1848-54, passes through the Semmering Pass between Murzzuschlag and Gloggnitz in the highlands. Given the very difficult terrain and significant height differences, it is one of the outstanding achievements of civil engineering of the XIX century. The road is still a fully functioning part of the Austrian Southern Railway.

The Semmering railway was built between 1848 and 1854. Approximately 20 thousand people took part in the construction. The project was created by the architect Karl von Gega. The road is laid at an altitude of 985 m above sea level, and due to the complexity of the terrain on this site, it was necessary to cut 14 tunnels, build 16 viaducts, some of them with two floors, as well as over a hundred stone bridges and 11 small iron bridges. Stations, roads and administrative structures are often built from waste rock obtained during the construction of tunnels.

In total, the height difference along the road is 460 meters, and on 60% of the length the steepness is 20-25%, which is equivalent to a rise of 1 meter for 40 meters of the path. Such conditions caused completely new technical aspects of construction and new tools and equipment were needed for operation. A new design of locomotives was developed specifically for this road, since standard equipment to this day cannot cope with extreme lifting values and turning radii.

The railway passes through a very picturesque mountainous area. And even during the construction, the main concept of the project was to create a "landscape in the garden", that is, the architect tried to achieve a harmonious combination of technology and nature. The beauty of the nature surrounding the road has led to the development of recreation infrastructure along it. Currently, Semmering is a popular ski and balneological resort; the area is also known as the venue for the Alpine Skiing World Cup competitions.

On April 25, 2012, work began on the construction of the 27.3 km long Semmering tunnel. This tunnel will be a bypass for the 41-kilometer section of the Semmering railway. The tunnel will be opened in 2024, with a total cost of €3.1 billion.

For travelling in this beautiful place, book an hotel on https://hotelhunter.com/en/aus...