Schlossbergbahn Freiburg

The old 'Schlossbergbähnle' was in operation for 40 years before its old age caught up to it. For years, it took tourists and locals alike up Freiburg's local mountain via a very short route. Today, a modern 'people mover' brings guests up to Dattler's Schlossberg Restaurant. Now, only a few of the old cabins placed in from of the Schlossberg Restaurant remind visitors of the Golden Age of small cable railways.

Jörg Dattler: "The decision was not difficult for us. Commercial considerations forced us to make this decision: Against the background of high staff and operating costs, operation of a cable car could not have been supported from an economic standpoint. In order to be able to transport sensible numbers of passengers, we decided on a 25 person cabin. In addition to this, wheelchair passengers, families with baby strollers, and older passengers are able to visit the Schlossberg, in contrast to with the old cable car."

The railway operates year-round, in summer and in winter. The first trip up the mountain starts at 9 am, and the last departs at 10 pm. "The last trip to the valley can of course be put off until later," explains Hansjörg Dattler, "since as long as we still have guests in the restaurant, then they will naturally also have the opportunity to take the railway back down again."

The entrepreneurial spirit of the Dattler family is especially notable: The new railway was erected without any subsidies or public grants, "and all of this in spite of the importance to tourism of the new Schlossbergbahn. We finally took advantage of Doppelmayr's know-how and technology, and it was a success!" concludes Hansjörg Dattler.