Turmbergbahn

From Durlach, the line climbed the Turmberg, which on a clear day provides a lookout point with views of the Rhine Valley, the Palatinate forest and the adjacent parts of Alsace.

[1][2] The line first opened in 1888 by the Turmbergbahn Durlach AG, and in its original form used the water ballast system of propulsion, similar to that still used by the Nerobergbahn in Wiesbaden.

Operation of the funicular was interrupted twice during World War II, once near the beginning, and again from 1945 to 1946.

[3] In 2019, it was decided to extend the tracks of the funicular railway to the foot of the hill bringing it closer to the terminal station of the tram in Durlach.

[4] On 29 December 2024, the Turmbergbahn closed, as the technical operating licence ran out the end of that year.