Predigtstuhl Cable Car

About

The Predigtstuhl Cable Car (German: Predigtstuhlbahn) is an aerial lift in Bad Reichenhall in Bavaria, Germany which connects the city with the top of the Predigtstuhl mountain in the Berchtesgaden Alps. It has been in operation since 1928. As the world’s oldest large-cabin cable car preserved in its original condition, the cableway is listed as a protected monument.

The Predigtstuhl Cable Car is considered a landmark achievement of early cableway engineering. It was developed in the 1920s to help the spa town regain competitiveness after World War I and the economic crises that followed. Key initiators included hotelier Alois Seethaler and spa director Josef Niedermeier, who brought leading experts to the town, notably engineer Alois Zuegg [ de ], a pioneer of modern aerial ropeway technology. The heartpiece, the wire ropeway drive technology and the two pavilion passenger cabins, was manufactured by Adolf Bleichert from Leipzig, Europe's leading company for wire ropeways at that time. For the cabins, a completely new design was developed, which, as a dodecagon, was not only visually pleasing but also more aerodynamic than the previously common bulky box-like carriages. A damper was installed which cushions the swaying after passing over the support towers. The steel wire ropes were supplied by Westfälische Drahtindustrie AG of Hamm. The original carrying cable remains in service to this day (as of 2018).

Together with Adolf Bleichert, Zuegg refined the innovative Bleichert–Zuegg system. In the years that followed, approximately three quarters of all cable cars worldwide were built using the patented "Bleichert-Zuegg system".

The Predigtstuhlbahn's architecture was designed by Wilhelm Kahrs of Hochtief from Munich, while the three distinctive skyward-reaching support towers were engineered by Otto Streck and Alfred Zenns. These monumental support towers as well as the mountain restaurant and the upper and lower stations are examples of New Objectivity, a short-lived architectural movement that is closely associated with the Bauhaus.

The mountain and valley stations were constructed from 1927 to 1928 and are architecturally reduced to their essential function. The dominant central structure housing the cabins and platforms is emphasized, while the waiting areas, administrative offices, storage, and technical rooms are visually subordinated. The window openings decrease in size toward the upper levels, intended to reflect the increasing height of the mountain. The mountain restaurant reinforces the character of the summit and is conceived as an extension of the city. Its façade therefore exhibits a formal austerity. The use of wood as a building material was deliberately avoided, creating a conscious contrast to traditional alpine huts and appealing to a more urbane and sophisticated clientele.

After a year of construction, the Predigtstuhl Cable Car began operations on 1 July 1928. Contemporary international press praised its speed, quiet operation, and safety. For Bad Reichenhall, the cable car was regarded as a symbol of economic revival. The Predigtstuhl mountain soon became a social meeting place for elite visitors.

Two years after its completion, Bleichert built the Aeri de Montserrat cable car to the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat near Barcelona, following the same principle. In 1931, the Port Vell Aerial Tramway was inaugurated there as well which is also an almost identical copy of the Predigtstuhl Cable Car.

Since 2006, it is listed as a protected monument by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection. The Predigtstuhl cable car is also known as the "Grande Dame of the Alps" due to its age. The German newspaper Die Welt once named it one of the ten most spectacular cable cars in the world.

In early 2009, Predigtstuhlbahn GmbH had to file for insolvency, presumably due to financial irregularities on the part of one of its shareholders. At the beginning of 2013, the company was acquired by Josef und Marga Posch GmbH & Co. KG, which belongs to the Bad Reichenhall-based corporate group Max Aicher.

The Predigtstuhl Cable Car is a reversible aerial cableway with two cabins traveling synchronously uphill and downhill, operating in shuttle service. Each cabin runs on a separate track cable and is moved by one haul rope and one counter-haul rope. The downhill cabin pulls the other cabin uphill, thus ensuring maximum energy efficiency. The control and drive systems are located at the mountain station. The steeply routed cable line is approximately 2,400 m in length and supported by three concrete pylons, with a maximum span of almost 1,000 m.

- Height of valley station: 474 m (1,555 ft)

- Height of mountain station: 1,614 m (5,295 ft)

- Maximum height above ground: 180 m (591 ft)

- Passenger capacity: two 25-passenger cabins

The museum at the mountain station presents the construction history, technical innovations, and original components of the cable car, illustrating its historical engineering significance. At the valley station, exhibits and information panels provide an overview of the history of the cable car, the mountain, and the surrounding region.

Springs for the cable brake of the gondolas

Model route of the Predigtstuhl cable car

- Height of valley station: 474 m (1,555 ft)

- Height of mountain station: 1,614 m (5,295 ft)

- Maximum height above ground: 180 m (591 ft)