Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway

The Nordbahn, financed by Salomon Mayer von Rothschild (1774–1855), was Austria's first steam railway company.

The first rail connection to Kraków via Bohumín, Kozle, and Mysłowice was provided by the Prussian Wilhelmsbahn and Oberschlesische Eisenbahn (Upper Silesian Railway).

After the nationalization of its railway network, the company continued to operate its coal and industry businesses.

The original Nordbahnhof in the Austrian capital (Vienna North railway station) was destroyed in World War II.

The journey, which caused quite a sensation, was witnessed and cheered by crowds of Viennese who had gathered along its route.

Kaiser Ferdinands-Nordbahn inscribed in abbreviated form on the façade of the main railway station in Bielsko-Biała , Poland
Share of the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway, issued 1. July 1857
Railways in Germany and neighbouring countries in 1849; bold lines = working, narrow lines = projected or in construction