Predigtstuhlbahn

Snapshot

The oldest aerial cable car in the world still operating with its original 1928 gondolas, machinery, and cables. Climbs from Bad Reichenhall to 1,614 m. A functioning technical monument 25 minutes from Salzburg.

The Story

Most cable cars are replaced within a generation. The Predigtstuhlbahn has been running since 1928 with the same wooden gondolas, the same machinery, and the same steel cables it opened with. That is the thing about it. Not the view, not the summit, though both are good. The thing is the ride itself: a small wooden box ascending slowly through forest and cliff on nearly 100-year-old equipment that still works.

The cable car connects Bad Reichenhall in Bavaria with the Predigtstuhl summit at 1,614 metres. From the top, the view opens over the Bad Reichenhall basin and extends into Salzburg State. The Bad Reichenhall valley and the Salzach corridor are visible below in a way that clarifies the geographic relationship between the Bavarian spa town and the Austrian provincial capital, barely 25 kilometres apart.

The Predigtstuhlbahn is a protected technical monument. Restoration work replaces damaged parts only with components that match the original specification. The intention is to keep the machine running, not to modernise it.

Visiting

Valley station at Max-Aicher-Platz 1 in Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria. Check predigtstuhlbahn.de for current schedule and admission. The ascent takes approximately 15 minutes. Restaurant at the summit. Bad Reichenhall is approximately 25 minutes from Salzburg by car. Allow 2 to 3 hours for the full excursion.