The Petřín funicular is a funicular railway in Prague that runs up the hill of Petřín and has three stops. It is part of the services of the Prague Public Transit Company.[1]
History
It began operating on 25 July 1891. It was then driven on the water-counterbalance principle. The funicular ran during the First World War, and operation ended in 1921, probably because of the high price of water.[1]
It was restored in 1932, when the line was rebuilt for electric drive. It served for more than thirty years. In 1965 extensive landslides on Petřín damaged the track. After a closure of twenty years, the funicular started running again in 1985 and at the same time became part of the urban public transport system.[1]
In September 2024 extreme rainfall damaged the line and the whole Petřín slope. In view of the planned overall reconstruction of the track and the replacement of the cars, the funicular did not resume operation. The railway body was subsequently rebuilt and new technology installed. This includes fourth-generation cars, designed by the studio Anna Marešová designers. The new cars are more glazed and carry 120 passengers instead of the former 100. The Prague Public Transit Company announced the start of trial operation with passengers for 22 September 2026.[1]
Technical parameters
According to the operator, the previous line had these parameters: track length 509 metres, three stops, two cars and an overcome height of 126.19 metres. The maximum gradient of the track was 296 per mille, the speed of travel was 4 metres per second and the ride lasted 3.2 minutes. The rail gauge is 1,435 millimetres and the capacity of the cars was 100 people.[1]
Surroundings of the line
From the Nebozízek station there is, according to the operator, a view of Prague Castle and the city. Near the Petřín Lookout Tower stands the Maze (Bludiště), a hall of mirrors housed in the Pavilion of Czech Tourists. The pavilion was built in 1891 at Výstaviště Praha, and a year later it was moved to its present site. It is a miniature of the medieval Špička gate from the Vyšehrad fortifications and also contains the panoramic painting The Defence of Prague against the Swedes.[1]
The funicular passes through the Hunger Wall, which Charles IV had built between 1360 and 1362 and which was part of the medieval fortifications. The name is explained by a legend about the construction, which provided a living for the poor inhabitants of the city. On Petřín there is also the Štefánik Observatory, active since 1930, and the Church of St. Lawrence, documented in writing in 1135 and rebuilt into its Baroque form between 1735 and 1770.[1]