Südbahnmuseum

History

"A mighty step forward has been taken, an important and momentous work is blessedly flourishing," wrote the Leipziger Illustrirte Zeitung on 7 June 1845 in a detailed report on the opening of the Vienna-Trieste railway. It was referring to the section from Mürzzuschlag to Graz, which had been completed at that time. But the real challenge was yet to come: the mountain route to the north across the Semmering, piling up to an altitude of almost 1000 metres, is set to become a milestone in railway history. Some 140 years after its completion, it is the first railway line to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mürzzuschlag station is the southern gateway to the Semmering Railway. Equipped with workshops, boiler houses and roundhouse, it is also the largest operating station on the line. Technically and historically significant, it is the last surviving ensemble from the early days of the Austrian railway. Not for nothing have the halls of the Südbahnmuseum been listed as a historical monument since 2006.

The museum opened in June 2004 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Semmering Railway. The Friends of the Südbahn association played a major role in this, acting as the museum's organisers from the outset and adding the roundhouse as an additional exhibition hall in 2007. The society now concentrates on the maintenance and expansion of the collection and undertakes extensive documentation and research. Presentation and communication, however, are in the hands of an agency. The permanent exhibition "Vienna-Mürzzuschlag-Trieste: 13 hours 4 minutes", which illustrates the importance of the Südbahn for the Habsburg Empire in the 19th century, is flanked by an extensive collection of vehicles, including the world's largest collection of draisines. The museum is also the starting point for walking and cycling tours of the outstanding engineering achievements of the Südbahn.