Zagreb Funicular

In the centre of Zagrab, the ‘blue’ funicular is among the shortest ever built, with a length of only 66m. It takes one minute to travel from Tomićeva Street in the lower town to the 13th-century landmark, the Lotrščak Tower, in the upper town or Gradec. The height is 30.5m, and the gradient is exceptionally steep at 52%. The funicular was built in 1890 by a contractor from the Croatian city of Osijek, D. W. Klein, to replace a long flight of steps. It was powered by a steam engine housed in a building at the top until an electric motor was installed in 1934, which is still in use. The two parallel lines are 1,200mm gauge. The service closed for repairs from 1969 to 1974 and again as a result of earthquake damage in 2020, reopening in 2022. It operates every ten minutes and carries up to 28 passengers in each of the two cars.