World Heritage Photos

The Semmering Railway is a masterpiece of civil engineering from the pioneering days of railway building. It was the first high-mountain railway in the world and it became the prototype for all high-mountain railways. The Semmering Railway passes over 16 stone arch viaducts, through 15 tunnels and over many stone bridges and several small iron bridges. The Kalte Rinne Viaduct is the highest and also the most imposing part of the Semmering Railway. The Semmering Railway is running for 41 km from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag over the Semmering Pass in the mountains between Graz and Vienna, the capital city of Austria, the highest point of the railway line is 898 metres. The railway was built from 1848 to 1854 and it was the last link in the Southern Railway between Vienna and Trieste in Italy. The railway was designed by Carl Ritter von Ghega. The Semmering Railway gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1998. Another Alpine railway: the UNESCO World Heritage: The Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland.

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   The Kalte Rinne viaduct, also known as the 20-Schilling Blick, is the most impressive part of the Semmering Railway. The Semmering Railway is the last connection between Vienna and Trieste. The construction started in 1848, it took six years to complete the railway line, it was completely built with hand tools, there were no tunnel drilling machines at that time, so they had to do drill all the tunnels by hand. The Semmering Railway became a UNESCO World Heritage in 1998.

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   Semmering Railway: The 20-Schilling Blick is the viewpoint from where people can see the same view as it was depicted on the former 20-shilling banknote of Austria. It is the most famous and most imposing viewpoint of the Semmering Railway. The 20-Schilling Blick is situated along the Semmering Railway between the small Austrian towns of Breitenstein and Mürzzuschlag where the Mürzzuschlag Southern Railway Museum is situated.

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   The 20-Schilling view, the heart of the Semmering Railway, it consists of the Kalte Rinne Viaduct, the Polleros Tunnel, the Krausel Klause Viaduct and Krausel Tunnel. The Semmering Railway is a masterpiece of civil engineering from the pioneering days of railway building. The railway line is running over the Semmering Pass in the high mountains between Vienna and Graz. In 1854, the first passenger train crossed the Semmering Pass.

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   Semmering Railway: The railway station of Semmering, a small village halfway between Vienna and Graz along the Semmering Railway. The railway line was designed by Carl Ritter von Ghega, a Albanian-Austrian civil engineer. When the scenic Semmering Railway was completed in 1854, it brought numerous tourists from Vienna and Graz to the tiny mountain village of Semmering. Nowadays, Semmering is a well known Alpine resort in Austria.

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   Semmering Railway: The old Semmering Tunnel is located nearby the railway station of the tiny village of Semmering. Semmering is located on the highest point of the Semmering Railway. The railway was the last link in the Southern Railway between Vienna in Austria and Trieste in Italy. The construction of a new tunnel started in 2015, the Semmering Base Tunnel will be completed in 2024.

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   Semmering Railway: The Schwarza viaduct crossing the Schwarza River, the viaduct is located in Payerbach, it is 228 metres long and 25 metres high and is the longest viaduct of the Semmering Railway. The railway passes over sixteen viaducts, through fifteen tunnels, over numerous small stone bridges and iron bridges, all made with hand tools. The Semmering Railway is considered a true masterpiece of civil engineering from the pioneering days of railway building.

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   The Schwarza Railway Viaduct at the town of Payerbach is the longest viaduct of the Semmering Railway. The construction of the railway started in 1848, about 15,000 to 20,000 people worked on the construction of the Semmering Railway, about 700 of them died during the construction. The Semmering Railway has a track lenght of 41 km and overcomes an altitude difference of 457 metres, the highst point is 896 metres. The railway was completed in 1854.

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   Semmering Railway near Mürzzuschlag. The Mürzzuschlag Southern Railway Museum, featuring the history of the Semmering Railway, the museum houses also a collection of locomotives and associated equipment, such as a locomotive, dating from 1854, the year, the Semmering Railway was completed.  It was the first high-mountain railway in the world and it became the prototype for all high-mountain railways.