Cable car to the Bismarck Tower?!
A representative of the Bleichert company, builder of passenger cable cars, is working on a project to build one from Gutenbergstraße to the Spitzhaus - Bismarck Tower area. The initial aim is to get the public interested in this project.
This submission by the city's master builder to the city council is the first sheet in an archive file with the simple title "Project suspension railway" from 1934. What a remarkable idea! The representative writes on several pages with a request for publication in the Radebeul Tageblatt: The impetus for this venture came when the original community of Wahnsdorf was annexed to Radebeul on 1 April of the same year with the now newly added urban area. The idea was not only to create a convenient way for locals, senior citizens, pregnant women and mothers with pushchairs to reach the Radebeul highlands, but also to make the region more accessible and revitalise it for tourists. After all, the view of the town of Lößnitz, the Elbe river or Dresden's skyline alone are worth such a journey! In addition, you have to consider the unpredictable weather conditions: in winter, steep roads turn into slippery black ice, while heavy downpours turn them into muddy paths. In both cases, they are then only passable for pedestrians and vehicles under extreme adversity. A mountain railway would be the solution. Passers-by would be able to get down to the road or railway and back in the safest and quickest way - the useful and the pleasant would thus be combined in the best possible way. A technical landmark would also be created. Both the mountain and valley stations could be designed by architects in a tasteful style. Support pillars would be less conspicuous than some contemporary power pylons and, with a green coat of paint, would virtually merge with nature. The same applies to the long-lasting suspension cables thanks to their ether colouring. Most importantly, there have been no accidents in the company's history to date!
The Leipzig company takes the Bad Harzburg suspension railway as a basis and makes the following calculation: 35,000 RM in operating costs (including personnel costs, electricity, maintenance and upkeep, advertising, etc.) compared to just under 80,000 RM in annual revenue. This assumes 80,000 return tickets, 50,000 uphill journeys, 25,000 downhill journeys, freight and postcard sales, etc.
Two cabins equipped with electric light run in shuttle service, i.e. when one car leaves the station downhill, the other car leaves the station uphill at the same time. The doors cannot be opened during the journey, during which up to 20 passengers can be transported. Each railway also has an auxiliary hoist rope with a special drive and motor, a telephone and an emergency push button. Regular maintenance work is covered by inspection trips. The impact on the terrain of such a railway is extremely low and quiet.
All these advantages and benefits should be enough to convince you to buy such a vehicle! However - the absence of any cable cars in the cityscape anticipates the answer of the city council: the approval of the publication is denied, as there is no need for the construction of a suspension railway and this would mean a disfigurement of the Lößnitz heights, moreover, the city administration will know how to solve the development of the hinterland in a more suitable way.
A pity, really.
Maren Gündel, City Archive
Published in: Official Gazette August 2015