On 26 September 2026 a small railway museum was opened at the railway station in Jemnice in the Třebíč area. It opened as part of celebrations of 130 years of the Jemnice – Moravské Budějovice line, along which a festive steam train ran that day.[1][2] The museum displays historic equipment that served at the Jedlová station and original fittings from stations on the line, said Martin Kouřil, chairman of the Spolek pro veřejnou dopravu na jihozápadní Moravě, which operates excursion trains on the line.[1]*

Origin of the collection

According to Kouřil, the exhibits were rescued by residents of Moravské Budějovice and Jemnice. Among them is the desk of Josef Tichý, the last station master of Jemnice before the station master post was abolished there. This created a corner commemorating the employees who ever worked at the station.[1][2] The Jemnice station had a station master until 1974, and until 2006 only a ticket office remained at the station. The new museum will be open whenever a weekend excursion train, run on special occasions, arrives at the station, or by arrangement with the Jemnice information centre.[1][2]

History of the line

The Moravské Budějovice – Jemnice line was opened on 9 November 1896 as part of a planned connection between southern Moravia and southern Bohemia, the preparation of which took 25 years. The original plan was for a railway running from Moravský Krumlov via Jemnice and Dačice to Jindřichův Hradec and Třeboň, but only the Moravské Budějovice – Jemnice section was built.[1][2] Regular passenger service on the line ended on 31 December 2010, according to the authorities because it was loss-making. Occasional passenger trains returned to the line in 2014 thanks to the Spolek pro veřejnou dopravu na jihozápadní Moravě, and since 2018 they have been ordered regularly by the Vysočina Region. For 2026 the region ordered 9,484.8 train-kilometres, to be run by 228 pairs of trains over 66 operating days in the year, with compensation of 1.1 million crowns, said regional spokeswoman Jitka Svatošová.[1][2]

Anniversary celebrations

The organisers brought the 130th-anniversary celebrations forward because they feared bad weather. The big attraction was the steam train rides; the first service reached Jemnice around 10:30 and was welcomed by hundreds of people.[1][2] The Vysočina Region celebrated the anniversary of the building of the railway on the same day in Velké Meziříčí, where trains to Studenec have run for 140 years, and Úzkokolejka, the Jindřichův Hradec narrow-gauge railway, held a Railway Day.[1][2]

Related articles: Jemnice

Chronology

Sources

  1. ČTK / České noviny — 26 September 2026
  2. Zdopravy.cz — 26 September 2026