125 years of the Wuppertal Suspension Railway (1901)

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn (suspension railway) is a suspended railway in the German city of Wuppertal, designed by engineer Eugen Langen. Operations began on March 1, 1901. The structure has been a monument since May 1997. The line is 13,3 kilometers long and has 20 stations. Have you already visited the Bergisches Land (North Rhine-Westphalia region)? And have you taken a ride on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn? It is a truly memorable experience to travel from the start to the end point. The Wuppertal Schwebebahn is known for many stories, in which the elephant also plays an important role.

Wuppertal Suspension Railway

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn is an elevated railway in Wuppertal, opened in 1901, and has been a listed monument since 1997. The 13,3-kilometer-long monorail is considered a landmark that shapes the cityscape and is the city's main tourist attraction, as well as one of the most famous modes of transport in the world. The unique character of the Schwebebahn has, in turn, contributed to the city itself gaining international renown. The operating company is WSW Wuppertaler Stadtwerke GmbH, or since 2007 its subsidiary WSW mobil GmbH; however, the infrastructure is owned by the City of Wuppertal itself. The system is the oldest monorail still in operation in the world, and also the oldest suspended railway still in operation.

 

History

In the Wuppertal industrial area, there was an urgent need for large-scale transport for the supply of raw materials and the export of products. The choice for an elevated railway stemmed from a lack of space. In the densely built-up area, the River Wupper was the only place still available for a railway line. In 1826, entrepreneur Friedrich Harkort had a test setup built in Elberfeld at his own expense. In 1887, a committee was established by the sister cities of Barmen and Elberfeld to seek investors and issue the order. Construction proceeded in stages, and the total construction took six years. The idea for what is now the oldest still-operating monorail and also the oldest still-operating suspended railway in the world was conceived at the end of the 19th century by the entrepreneur and engineer Eugen Langen (1833-1895). The topographical features and the increasing demand for passenger and freight transport made a space-saving and modern mass transport system necessary. The construction of the Wuppertaler Suisse lasted from 1898 to 1903. However, some sections were completed and put into service earlier, such as the approximately four-and-a-half-kilometer stretch between the “Zoologischer Garten” and “Kluse” stations. This section was put into service for regular passenger transport on February 15, 1901, and officially inaugurated on March 1, 1901, which has since been considered the opening day of the Wuppertaler Suisse. Even before the inauguration, a special event took place: Emperor Wilhelm II and his wife, Auguste Viktoria, took the Suisse for a test drive on October 24, 1900.

During the Second World War, many stations and large sections of the line were destroyed. However, the cable car was back in operation just one year after the end of the war.

 

Tuffi the elephant

One of the strangest stories from North Rhine-Westphalia is the accident that befell Tuffi the elephant. In 1950, the traveling circus Althoff arrived in Wuppertal with their four-year-old circus elephant, Tuffi. During the setup of the circus, the circus director had developed the habit of traveling through the city they were in with Tuffi to advertise upcoming performances. His favorite way to generate publicity was always to take the little elephant along on the tram, which invariably caused a stir and attracted a great deal of press attention. Tuffi's trainer decided to take her along on the suspended train. The elephant's arrival at the station caused quite a stir. Many journalists from the local and national press had chosen to accompany the elephant on her journey. So when she stepped into the Schwebebahn carriage, dozens of people pushed their way in beside her.

Traveling on the Schwebebahn, however, is not comparable to a tram ride. The trains sway considerably more and often tilt at strange angles. Tuffi, normally a very calm animal, panicked due to the crowds and movement. First, she broke one of the seats in the carriage, and then she tried to escape through the window. Her first attempt only broke the window, but her second attempt was successful: the elephant punched a hole in the side of the carriage and jumped down into the river. Remarkably, Tuffi remained unharmed after her unexpected fall into the River Wupper. Apart from a few scrapes, she managed to free herself from the water and return to the nearby circus. Tuffi continued working at Circus Althoff until the 1960s, after which she was sold to a French circus where she worked for many years until her death in 1989. Throughout her life, she continued to enjoy traveling by tram, but she never set foot on the Schwebebahn again.  

Kaiserwagen

The 00 series of the Wuppertaler Suspendant, also known as the 1900 series, was the first series of vehicles used for regular passenger transport. The most famous example of this is the so-called Kaiserwagen (Emperor's Carriage), an original two-part train from 1900. It consists of the main car, the front car or driver's car number 5 with a driver's cab and control panel, and the rear car, the second car or trailer number 22 without a driver's cab or control panel. Both are now used only for tourist excursions and may no longer be deployed for regular scheduled service.

The two museum carriages owe their name to the fact that Emperor Wilhelm II, together with his wife Auguste Viktoria, took a test drive in carriage 5 on October 24, 1900, during a visit to the cities of Vohwinkel, Elberfeld, and Barmen.  

The suspension railway as an attraction in Wuppertal

Over the decades, the Wuppertalerweg acquired worldwide fame that remains unmatched to this day in its uniqueness and individuality. It was an icon from the very beginning. Locally, it contributed significantly to the formation of a shared identity among the inhabitants and the integration of the formerly competing parts of Wuppertal, thereby also facilitating their merger in 1929 and 1930. Finally, the logo used by the municipality since 1970 consists of a stylized cable car and the letter W for Wuppertal, the so-called Wupperworm. In 1971, this also replaced the city coat of arms, which had previously been painted on the cable car carriages. Another Wuppertal original is the so-called "Swimming Lane General," a famous conductor from the early years of operation.

The transport system is regarded as a link between the cities and proof of and a symbol of their joint growth. The journalist Walter Foitzick (1886–1955) summarized this as follows: “The inhabitants of Wuppertal certainly take their monorail for granted, and those born in the shadow of the monorails may perhaps not even be able to imagine that there are cities and countries where you do not monorail.” Another well-known local expression is: “The squeaking of the train belongs to Wuppertal like the amen in church,” and residents sometimes use the greeting “from the city where the buses fly.” Other synonyms are ‘suspension railway city’ and ‘city of the suspension railway’. The pun “Wuppertal hangs on the suspension railway” enjoys a similar degree of fame, as do the slogans “you float in Wuppertal,” which were used as an advertising stamp by the German Federal Post in 1967, for example, and “Once in a lifetime to float through Wuppertal,” which has also been the title of a children’s book since 2024. Three other children’s books featuring the suspension railway as a central story motif are *Tuffi and the Suspension Railway* by Ernst-Andreas Ziegler and Marguerita Eckel from 1983, *Finn on the Way with the Suspension Railway* by Lucia D'Armento Sahin from 2013, and *Schwuppi – The Suspension Railway* from 2019, also by the aforementioned author.

Many companies, associations, organizations, and political parties in Wuppertal incorporate the cable car graphically into their public relations and logos, and various companies offer special products related to this mode of transport. As a result, the cable car is omnipresent in the cityscape. Moreover, the cable car is the subject of countless murals and graffiti. From 1997 to 2017, the Wuppertal Association of Citizens and Neighborhood Associations also awarded the Golden Cable Car Prize to deserving individuals. Since 2013, the so-called Zweefbaanloop has taken place annually in June, a recreational running race with various distances up to a half marathon. The shopping arcade at the central station is also known as the Zweefbaanpassage. The cable car is also an important part of merchandising, souvenir sales, and city marketing. For instance, in 2017, the cable car received the Wuppertal Business Award in the “City Marketing Award” category. Advertising entrepreneur and brand expert Frank Dopheide confirms its superiority over other well-known modes of transport in the world's major cities. He states that it “gives us a sense of euphoria” and that the ride in the air “elevates passengers above everyday life, allows them to look down on the trivialities of life, and broadens their perspective.” Unlike the funiculars of San Francisco, which are more of a tourist attraction than a means of transport, the cable car still promises usability in daily life 120 years after the first ride. The cable car is also superior to the typical London taxi's, which “spend more time in traffic than they drive”. Likewise, the suspended track surpasses its “cosmopolitan, underground sister”, the New York City subway, making the Wuppertal system seem safer. The term 'suspension track' alone lends the whole a sense of lightness and is just as unique worldwide as the vehicle itself. According to Dopheide, what the suspended track has achieved as a trademark for the city over the past 120 years is therefore 'probably just as valuable as the technical achievement'.  

Tourism

Most visitors come to Wuppertal because of the world-famous suspension railway, which is considered a symbol of enterprising pioneering spirit and reliability, a feat of technical ingenuity, and a solution to traffic problems. As an unmistakable landmark, it is comparable to the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, or the Statue of Liberty. Due to its unique mode of transport, Wuppertal was recommended by the American television channel CNN in early January 2020 as one of the 20 best tourist destinations in the world, and as the only city in Germany, for 2020. Author Barry Neild describes the monorail as a “steampunk version” of a public transport system, reminiscent of a Jules Verne fantasy, and as one of the “coolest railway systems in the world,” giving Wuppertal “an extraordinary asset.” The “iron legs” span the city’s streets and waterways, transporting passengers high above traffic to stations that are “just as science-fiction-like” as the train connecting them. Moreover, a ride costs only “a few dollars.” The British newspaper The Guardian echoed this sentiment on March 7 of the same year. As part of a survey in which writers from all 27 countries of the European Union each presented a favorite place reflecting the spirit of their nation, British-German journalist Kate Connolly described Wuppertal’s monorail. The German National Tourist Office included the Wuppertal Slingerbahn in the list of the country's 100 most important tourist attractions in 2024, ranking 90th. For travelers wishing to use the Slingerbahn for sightseeing, Wuppertal Marketing, Wuppertal's public transport company, has been offering an audio guide as a podcast for mobile devices since 2021. This guide lasts approximately an hour and covers the entire route in both directions. Additionally, tourist information signs along the A46 point the way to the Slingerbahn and the zoo. Today, the Wuppertal Suspension Railway, which has been a protected historical monument since 1997, is considered an icon of the city. This year, the suspension railway celebrates its 125th anniversary.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

Everything about the Wuppertal Suspension Railway (DE): https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuppertaler_Schwebebahn Wuppertal Suspension Railway: https://schwebebahn.de/ Wuppertal tourism: https://www.wuppertal.de/index.php The Bergisches Land region: https://www.dasbergische.de/ Von der Heydt Museum: https://von-der-heydt-museum.de/