It is the shortest such funicular in the world.
The Zagreb Funicular is celebrating its 128th birthday on Monday. For the occasion, both stations will be specially decorated, while the funicular’s operator, the city-owned ZET public transportation company, announced that today’s passengers will receive a special birthday card as a souvenir for the important anniversary, reports Večernji List on October 8, 2018.
This well-known symbol of the Croatian capital first connected the Lower Town and the Upper Town in 1890 and is considered the oldest form of public transportation in Zagreb.
The construction works began on May 6, 1889. On the day of the funicular’s official opening, on October 8, 1890, hundreds of citizens came to see what will happen. However, it took quite a long time for the first traveller to gather his courage and entered one of the two cars, pay for the ticket, and travel to the Upper Town. “The steam, this great discovery, driven the machine which lifted and lowered the funicular’s cars. The future generations will admire our venture,” wrote a reporter who witnessed the inaugural ride of the funicular.
The first run of the funicular started at 7 am, but there were misunderstandings and anger. People who wanted just to experience the magic of riding in one of two brown-coloured cars could not buy a one-way ticket, but just a two-way. However, the next day a sales office was opened where all kinds of tickets were sold, including subscriptions.
At the very beginning, the funicular was marked by frequent breakdowns. However, today it is a symbol of Zagreb. Since it has almost completely retained its original appearance and the construction, as well as most of the technical properties which its builders gave it, the Zagreb Funicular has been legally protected as a cultural monument.
Compared to other public funiculars which are intended for public transportation, the 66-metre-long funicular is the shortest in the world. It also boasts the title of the safest public transportation method since no accidents or passenger injuries have been recorded in the past 128 years. On average, it transports some 750,000 citizens and tourists per year.
Translated from Večernji List.
