In Search for the and most scenic and slowest train route from Venice to Amsterdam
Day 1
FS 16324 Venezia Santa Lucia 9.57 – Bassano del Grappa 11.11
FS 16114 Bassano del Grappa 11.25 – Trento 13.29
Everybody arriving in Venice leaves the station as quickly as possible to be greeted by the palaces lining the Canal Grande with its chaos of boats. Those leaving have to run the gantlet of an entrance hall filled with shops to an extent that the mass of passengers hardly finds enough space to pass to the platform at the end of the tracks. The information board announces the platform of the departing trains just 15 minutes before departure and those waiting collect in a dense bubble under the board. But there is a kiosk selling cigarettes. A package of my favorites is 6.20 € here. Where I come from they just have raised the prize to 12.50 €.
The outside platforms of Venezia St Lucia station
However, there is a little trick to find the right track when you arrive much earlier and don’t want to spend your time waiting in a shop. You have to find one of the old fashioned paper timetables still on display somewhere in the station. They show the platform where the planners of RFI (Rete ferroviario Italiano) expect the trains to depart. However, that might change on a daily basis.
The inside long distance part of the station
The long distance and high speed trains all depart inside the station hall. I have arrived or departed in Venice many times by train and had not realized that there is another part of the station, outside. This is the part for the commuter trains, those not used by business men and tourists, the local trains into the marshes and plains of the Veneto. The commuters do not have to pass through the shopping mall of the station. There is a direct exit to the vaporetto and the bridges across the Canal Grande. The train to Bassano del Grappa is leaving from platform 20 in this basic exterior part of the station.
Searching for the shadow while waiting for the train
I am 45 min too early. There is no roof and waiting passengers are relentlessly exposed to the sun which already is hot in the morning. Maybe that is the reason why there is a number of fire extinguisher carts at the begin of each platform. Like in the rest of the station there are no benches to sit down. I guess you are not supposed to wait here but spend your time in the shopping area. But I follow the example of a station employee who has found a spot to relax and sit on one of the deep window sills in the shadow of the main station building.
The dam across the lagune of Venice
The train to Bassano del Grappa is a modern electric multiple unit and well used. The air-conditioning is working well. It passes through flat, mainly agricultural land of vineyards and fields of maize and grain. Nobody uses his backyard as a vegetable garden like in the countries further east. Instead there are pools. The train passes through Castelfranco Veneto. Both this town and Bassano del Grappa would be worth a visit. However, there is no luggage storage in these small stations. A visit would be better done on a day trip.
Bassano del Grappa station
The train arrives on time in Bassano. The connecting train is a modern Diesel multiple unit. Like in the train before, this means the windows cannot be opened. There is no catenary between Bassano and Trento. The line follows the Brenta river. The valley gets narrower and the cliffs on both sides higher. The railway had to fight for space with the parallel highway. The highway won. While it was extended to 4 lanes, the railway was degraded to what is absolutely necessary for basic local passenger transport. The freight yards have disappeared. The big piles of wood from the mountains now can be transported on the upgraded highway by truck. It is a pity because the highway makes the valley full of villages clinging to the rocky outcrops like birds’ nests much less attractive. Not to speak of the Brenta cycling route, which can be enjoyed under the impression of the noise of traffic.
In the Brenta valley
There is a small railway museum in Primolano. A turntable and shed has been restored. Engine 880 001 and some beautifully restored coaches could theoretically be used on the line. Unfortunately the museum is only open a couple of times a year.
The long bridge across the southern suburbs of Trento
Approaching Trento the train fills up. The noise level increases. Behind me a guy is listening to African tik-tok at high volume. But we are almost there. The line enters Trento on a long viaduct across the valley of the Adige river. In front of the station is a park dedicated to Dante. I do not know which relation he had with Trento but he got a statue facing north. At the far side of park is Grand Hotel Trento. It is difficult to admit, but Italian Fascism has produced some impressive pieces of architecture. It was built between 1939 and 1942 by Giovanni Lorenzi. Cautiously, the hotel calls it an example of nationalist architecture. The entrance hall is grand, there is a bar and the room has everything which is on my list of requests of what a hotel room should have.
Grand Hotel Trento
When we were children and on route to the annual vacation on an Italian beach we sometimes stopped in Trento. We never used the motorway but rather the old pass route across the Brennero since it was toll free. My father used to park his usually old cars right under the towering walls of an enormous fortress to give them some rest. Otherwise I don’t remember anything of the town. The reason might be that my father characterized it as dirty and without particular interest.
Castello de buonconsiglio, the prince bishop castle and palace in Trento
Already in 1067 the German emperor Konrad II appointed a prince bishop in Trient. The prince bishop was under the suzerainty of the Counts of Tyrol. Since 1363 Tyrol was under Habsburg Rule. The enormous fortress was the residence of the prince bishops. Half a century after passing with my father I eventually get the chance for a visit to the castello de Buonconsiglio.
One of the courtyards
The towering walls enclose a complex of buildings from different eras ranging from medieval to Renaissance. The last addition of 1686 brought the former two distinctive parts of the medieval Castelvecchio and Renaissance Palazzo Magno together.
The lofty loggia in the top floor
In the 15th century the prince bishop Johannes Hilderbach added a double loggia in Ventian Gothic style to the building. Even on such a hot day the airy loggia is a pleasant place to linger. It offers excellent views of the alpine range around Trento.
Also the renaissance Lions' Court (Cortile dei Leoni) has a loggia. Many of the ceilings in the halls of the building are decorated with Frescos. From the window there is a beautiful view across the lush garden.
Palace gardens
After 1803 the castle was used by the Austrians as barracks. The Frescoes were covered with white wash. Regarding the neglect it is surprising that so much of the interior decorations are preserved and recovered during different attempts of restoration.
Fresco paintings in the staircase
The barracks were also used as a prison. A little museum reminds of the process against Cesare Battisti, Fabio Filzi und Damiano Chiesa, fighters for the italian unification who were executed in the moat of the castle after being found guilty of high treason. At that time the now beautiful garden probably looked quite different.
Dürer aquarell of Trento castle in 1494
The museum in the castle has an extensive exhibition about archaeology and the history of the area. At the moment there is a special exhibition about the painter Dürer and his influence on the local Renaissance art. In 1494/95 Dürer left his hometown Nürnberg (part 3) to travel to Italy. When he passed through Trento he made an aquarell of the castle. It is shown behind thick glass. It is very rare that fragile pieces of art like this are shown in original. It is also fascinating how well preserved it is after more than 500 years.
Schedel's world chronic of 1494 with a print of the skyline of Nürnberg
Next to other Dürer paintings and drawings the exhibition also displays an edition of Schedel’s world chronic. It is from Dürer’s time and they display it opened on the page where it shows a print of the medieval skyline of the town of Nuremberg (part 3).
In the streets of Trento
According to legend a secret tunnel allowed the prince-bishop to move unseen from the castle to the cathedral. It might be a legend, in any case I have to move down to the medieval town center in the evening sun, which is still blazing. In contrast to the opinion of my late father Trento has an attractive town center full of medieval and renaissance palaces.
Piazza del Duomo in Trento
The center of the old town is the piazza del Duomo. On two sides it is lined by Trento Cathedral and the Renaissance building of the Diocesan museum. Both have beautiful campaniles, but the needle thin campanile at the outer corner of the buildings is in particular unique.
The pencil sharp campanile of the Duomo
I sit down at the ice cream parlor on the square. The waitress is quick and efficient. When I want to give her a tip she cannot accept it because her card reader does not accept any changes. And I do not have coins…..
In the ice cream parlor on Piazza del Duomo
It is still hot and instead of looking for a restaurant in town I drag myself back to the hotel to have a shower and eat dinner in the hotel restaurant. The dinner is excellent. Besides a group of chinese tourists I am the only guest.
One of the towers used as safe palaces in the middle ages
I intend to retreat to my room for a quiet evening of reading. In the room I realize that the noise of some kind of house party which I heard suppressed before in the restaurant is in the park in front of the hotel right below my room. My first hope that it will end at 11 pm is quickly destroyed. Neither do they stop at midnight. Around 1 am I finally find some sleep although it still goes on. I wake up an hour later and the noise is still there. Only when I wake up the next time at 3 am it is perfectly silent outside. I finally can open the window of my room.
The margin between noise and music is very wide and of course prone to individual preferences. A biker gets his orgasm when his engine passes 120 decibel. For me the sound of a train is the nicest music. But the sound created by a madman who screams out his hatred of the world underlined with the dull boom of a hammering bass is way closer to noise than to music.
The staircase of Grand hotel Trento
Day 2
FS 3462 Trento 8.54 – Brennero 11.01
ÖBB 3513 Brennero 11.33 – Innsbruck 12.13
DB 5416 Innsbruck 12.38 – Garmisch 14.00
DB 5518 Garmisch 14.04 – Pfronten 15.24
DB 57826 Pfronten 15.36 – Kempten 16.29
DB 57437 Kempten 16.36 – Augsburg 17.51
Trento station
Trento is on the railway across the Brenner pass. The construction crews of the k.k. Nord- und SüdTiroler Staatsbahn finished the line to Trento from the South in 1859. When the Austrian – Hungarian empire lost its possessions in Lombardy – Veneto the line was not yet completed. The strategic importance to link the Trento and the Trentino, which was still in Austrian possession, to Austria considerably sped up the construction and the 127 km long route across the pass from Innsbruck to Bolzano took only three years to build and was finally opened on August 24th 1867.
Inside Trento station
The lower train access to the pass runs through a valley full of vineyards and little villages. From time to time a spectacular fortress blocks the valley. The mountains on both sides grow higher and higher. The towers of the churches on top of the ridges are already close to heaven.
Train to Bolzano in Trento
After the Semmering line linking Trieste to Vienna the Brenner line was the second Austrian railway crossing the Alps. The northern ramp has a gradient of 2.5% and the southern of 2.25%. The maximum gradient is 3.1%. The line also has narrow curves of 264 m radius and two spiral tunnels.
Cliffs along the valley up the Italian side of Brennero
After the collapse of the k&k empire in 1918 Austria eventually lost the last possessions in northern Italy and South Tyrol. This had consequences for the Brenner railway since the frontier now was at the summit at Brenner station at a height of 1371 m.
Castle above Chiuso
Electric engines in Austria run under 15.000 V AC. The Italian part of the line was electrified between 1929 and 1934 with 3,700 V three-phase 16.7 Hz. Until the line was converted to 3000 V DC in 1965 spectacular locomotive Methuselahs labored up the mountain. Today modern electric locomotives can handle DC and AC feed. However, the security system in Austria and Italy still is entirely different. It took years until engines which were suitable to operate in the other country actually got the permit to cross the border. Local trains from both sides still end at Brennero and most freight trains change engines.
The huge station of Brennero
While a spectacular highway was built in the 1960’ies to allow an endless caravan of noisy and stinking trucks spoil the access valleys up the pass there was little investment in the railway. On the Italian access ramp three tunnels, one with a length of 13 km, have been built. On the Austrian side a 12.5 km long tunnel allows freight trains to bypass Innsbruck. It is Austria’s longest tunnel.
The Austrian train from Brennero to Innsbruck
A Brenner base tunnel of 55 km long is under construction. It is planned to open in 2032. Until that time the Brenner route remains the last really spectacular main line Alpine crossing without significant parts hidden in tunnels. Due to the rather low speed it allows spectacular views of the surrounding mountain side.
The Europa bridge of the motorway across the Brenner pass
The long layover time between local trains in Brennero also allows to inspect the huge station and the handling of the freight trains. The station building was built in those times when crossing a border was a tedious and annoying torture for every passenger. In times of EU no such border inspection is carried out – except if you try to enter Bavaria.
One of the turns around rthe valley the train has to take to climb up or down
In Innsbruck I change to the German EMU forming the train to Garmisch via Seefeld and Mittenwald. The Karwendelbahn is another spectacular mountain railway. When you look at the northern mountain side of the Inn valley west of Innsbruck you doubt that anybody would be able to built a train line climbing up there. The cliffs are simply vertical.
German train for Garmisch ready to depart in Innsbruck
When the 56 km long line was built in 1912 it already was electrified with high tension AC current. It therefore had big influence on the choice of the electric system later used in Austria and Germany. The southern part between Innsbruck and the border was built by the imperial k&k Staatsbahn while the northern section was built by the Royal Bavarian Railway company.
View back down into the valley
Over less than 30 km the line climbs up from 630 m in Innsbruck to 1182 m at Seefeld. The maximum grade here is even 3.8% and the minimum radius in curves 200 m. There are 16 tunnels, the longest of 1810 m, and numerous bridges. During the climb the bridges allow brief glimpses into the valley before the train disappears in the next tunnel.
Brief glimpse down between two tunnels
After leaving Innsbruck the train is full of Androids, who, after leaving their high-tech bicycles in the racks provided for their purpose, fall back into their seats and stare into their telephones. All except one. He starts touching a female cyclist from his seat behind her in an attempt to start a conversation. After several awkward attempts with questions like “are you OK?” or “where did you cycle?” she firmly tells him off. In a rage he gets up and disappears to another part of the train.
Village church close to Seefeld
After WW I the Bavarian part of the Deutsche Reichsbahn constructed special carriages and trains for their alpine routes. They had bigger windows, a different color and there even were special panoramic railcars. One of these “trains of glass” (Gläserner Zug) built in 1935 was used until 1995 when it had to be taken out of service after a crash with a locomotive. It is preserved, however. The standard EMU’s of today differ from the ordinary by having a map of the lines around Garmisch on the little table between the seats. Otherwise they are free of luxury. The Austrian part of the line is not specified on this map….
Trains stalled in the station of Garmisch. The station is full since the line to Munich is out of order
The transfer time in Garmisch to the train of the Aussenfernbahn is only 4 min. And of course the train leaves on a different platform. When in the border station a couple of Bavarian border guards entered the train to hunt for immigrants I had lost any hope to get that connection. However, the delay is short, apparently everybody looks like a local and therefore is regarded to be trustworthy. Miraculously I am able to catch the correspondence in Garmisch.
The Wetterstein mountain range which include Zugspitze, Germanies highest mountain
The “Aussenfernbahn” Garmisch – Kempten is only electrified until Pfronten. The reason for the electrification is that part of the line passes through the Austrian state of Tyrol. The Austrian parts are maintained by the Austrian railway who insist on maintaining the electrification. The trains are operated by Deutsche Bahn who wanted to close down the line a long time ago.
The mountains along the Aussenfernbahn
The line has a respectable maximum grade of 3.75 %. In the German part after Garmisch it climbs up along the base of the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. The top can be reached by two different cable cars and a cog railway starting in Garmisch.
The basic shelter provided for passengers in Pfronten
In Pfronten the traveler has to change from the EMU to a DMU. The station has been reduced to the necessary basic. Only one of the two tracks has been electrified. Even though Pfronten is one of Germany’s most famous mountain resorts there are no services at the station. The building is privately owned. The passengers have a basic shelter at their convenience. There are not even benches to sit down. Those who arrive from Garmisch have to wait until the train for the connection to Kempten arrives from there.
The proper station is private property. At least it is no ruin
The track to Kempten winds its way through the lovely countryside of the foothills of the German Alps. The speed is not higher than on a comparable line in Romania. The stations are reduced to one track and a concrete platform. In the settlements the buildings have been renovated to anonymity. Uniform white-washed new construction surrounded by garages and parking lots. Fields of solar panels and power lines. Do it yourself centers, soccer and sports grounds with artificial grass and more parking lots. Screamingly colored advertising signs shout: The My name is REWE and I am ugly. Temporary barriers which have become permanent. Bails of hay covered in plastic.
Along the line from Pfronten to Kempten
Kempten is the main railway hub for trains between Germany’s southern mountain resorts to the north to Augsburg and Ulm/Stuttgart and the two track East – West main line between Munich and Switzerland. However, for strange reasons only known by the management of Deutsche Bahn they have electrified the parallel one track branch line bypassing Kempten to connect Munich with Switzerland so that the international trains do not pass through Kempten any more.
The train from Kempten to Augsburg
Today all trains are more or less on time and I also get the correspondence from Kempten to Augsburg easily. The train is well filled and the delay increases with every station. In this case I do not care. It is my last train for today.
Arrival in rhe station in Augsburg
In history Augsburg has two reasons for fame. The first is the battle of the Lechfeld. In 955 the Hungarians had pressed west and laid siege on Augsburg. The German heavy cavalry under emperor Otto I and Conrad, Duke of Lorraine not only succeeded in the battle against the invading Hungarians but Otto was also clever enough to block all the Hungarian exit routes across the rivers which were swollen from heavy rain. The Hungarian army was completely annihilated. The leaders were captured, brought back to Augsburg and hanged. The danger of a Hun invasion was averted forever.
Augsburg station
I had checked the availability of hotels in Augsburg and there was plenty of space. When I walk to the entrance of the one closest to the station, the entrance is closed. There is no bell but a couple leaving the entrance informs me that it has self registration and there is nobody. I am glad I did not book a room there in advance and walk to the next hotel just some minutes away. It is in a park. A part of a hospital complex has been converted into a hotel. A friendly receptionist confirms that they have rooms available. The room has a mosquito net at the window opening to the park so the window can stay open at night and there is a rooftop terrace on my floor.
Maximilianstrasse, the enormous scenic main square of Augsburg
I walk towards the town center to find a restaurant for dinner. Augsburg is probably one of the last towns in Europe which is free of a pedestrian zone. There are plenty of restaurants in the Maximilianstrasse, the enormous scenic main square of town. However, it the night of the finals of the European Soccer Championship and all terraces outside are filled with noisy, beer drinking soccer fans watching the game on huge screens. Meanwhile convertibles and boom cars slowly cruise up and down the wide square. They get no attention today. All the faces are turned towards the screens.
Augsburg city hall and Perlach tower
Under the pretext of the town’s industry and railway junction the Allies flew bombing raids against Augsburg during WW II. The english edition of Wikipedia cites 3 bombing raids, the German edition more than 10. Most were directed at the town center which was destroyed to 90 %.
Maximilianstrasse and Perlach tower
In my search for a restaurant I end up in a part of the city that was carelessly rebuilt after the war. But I find a quiet terrace where only half of the tables are occupied. After some consideration of the reservations he is expecting the waiter assigns me to a table for 4. After I have ordered more people arrive. Some are accepted, some sent away. It turns out that there are no further reservations. The waiter wants to keep half of the terrace empty to have less work. Therefore he only accepts singles or small groups, which he puts at big tables. But the food and beer are good.
Hans Burgkmair: Portrait of Jakob Fugger and his future wife Sybilla Artzt (1498)
Next to me a group of men watches the expensive cars circling around in search of a parking spot. They discuss the advantages of certain brands and models and seem to now their top speed and power. All of them could use some exercise. A guy on a motorcycle parks his bike, takes off his helmet and starts combing his hair in the mirror image of an empty shop window. A guy parks his convertible and disappears with his girl in a tanning saloon.
Rich Jacob Fugger's enormous "house"in the center of Augsburg
Augsburg’s second reason for fame is its role as financial center of the medieval and Renaissance German empire. German emperors like the Habsburg Maximilian I and Karl V were depending on the money of Augsburg’s bankers and merchants, in particular the Fugger and Welser families. Jacob Fugger was simply called “the rich”.
Statue of Jacob Fugger, behind the house of the Patrician family Köpf
Their need for money resulted in frequent visits of the emperors to Augsburg. The wealth of the merchants and the presence of the emperors also attracted famous artists like Hans Holbein the Elder or Hans Burgkmair the Elder. At the time Augsburg was one of the major towns in Europe.
Main street of the Fuggerei, social housing project built by Jacob Fugger
The Fugger palaces in the town center, restored after the destruction in WW II, are impressive. But Jacob Fugger also had a social attitude. In 1535 he opened the Fuggerei, a world’s oldest social housing complex.
Street in the Fuggerei
The residents of the Fuggerei did not pay any rent but were required to pray for Jacob Fugger’s celestial well being three times a day. Remarkably enough this law is still valid today. Meanwhile the complex is enlisted in UNESCO’s world heritage.
In the time the Fuggerei was built there were no street lights. Since all the houses were identical the residents coming home in darkness would have difficulties to find their house. To help them identify their proper door each has a unique metal handle for the door bell.
Doors with the individual door handles for easy identification without light
Augsburg has preserved some remarkable examples of sacred architecture. A teacher ushers his groups of teenagers through the church of Ulrich and Afra with remarkable patience. He tries to draw their attention with some peculiar comparisons: Otto the emperor defeated the Hungarian huns in 955, 1000 years later the German national team defeated the Hungarians in the world cup final in 1954 to become soccer world champion for the first time.
Augsburg Dom
In 1518, Cardinal Thomas Cajetan invited Martin Luther to defend his theses in the Fugger Houses in Augsburg. During the negotiations Luther stayed in the Carmelite monastery of St. Anna with the Augsburg mayor's son Christoph Langenmantel. When Martin Luther refused to retract his theses he was in immediate danger to end up on the stake. Therefore, in the night of October 19th to 20th, Langenmantel led Luther escape through a secret gate in the city wall
Augsburg Dom
In 1530 Philipp Melanchthon formulated the Augsburg Confession. It is considered the founding document of the Lutheran Church.
Channels for mills
In the lower part of Augsburg the water of the river Lech was diverted into parallel canals to drive mills. Although it also was heavily destroyed and rebuilt it is one of the most attractive residential areas of the town. New and medieval buildings line the cobbled streets and bridges cross the numerous canals.
The red gate
The Rotes Tor is one of the gates of the medieval city wall which were preserved. Next to the gate a builder repairs some cracks in the plaster of a historic building housing an Irish pub. All the buildings look perfect. The tower and gate probably has never looked so perfect in the entire 500 years of its existence. I start a nice conversation about this German perfectionism with the builder who is proud of his work. He is doing what he is paid to do. We agree that the perfect state of the buildings and the amount of parked cars makes the difference in atmosphere between an Italian or Spanish town of the same time period and Augsburg.
Remainders of the medieval Augsburg city wall
Day 3
DB 62732 Augsburg 8.46 – Buchloe 9.21
DB 78923 Buchloe 9.36 – Memmingen 9.58
DB 78923 Memmingen 10.06 – Kisslegg 10.43
DB 17874 Kisslegg 11.34 – Aulendorf 11.56
DB 17806 Aulendorf 12.06 – Sigmaringen 12.50
DB 3214 Sigmaringen 13.32 – Immendingen 14.20
DB 4726 Immendingen 14.30 – Villingen 14.49 – Offenburg 15.59
DB 87444 Offenburg 16.05 – Strasbourg 16.33
SNCF 35028 Strassbourg 17.19 – Nancy 18.44
Strassburg
There is no train on platform 1 of the station in Augsburg. A train to Mannheim is announced to depart in 15 minutes. A group of angry passengers shouts at two intimidated female employees of Deutsche Bahn. They had to leave their train to Mannheim during the stop in Augsburg. An announcement had told them that the train would not be able to continue since the line ahead was closed. While most of the passengers went into the station hall to get information, their train continued. There was no further announcement. Now the stranded passengers complain. They could just board the next train to Mannheim due in only a couple of minutes. But they have lost their reserved seats.
Augsburg platform 1
It does not concern me. I will try to cross the south of Germany by taking local trains all the way to Offenburg. Depending on how long this will take I can decide how far to go.
Dutch ICNG train in the goods yard of Augsburg station
Most of the secondary lines in Germany are reduced to the absolutely necessary. Freight traffic is made impossible by the handicapped infrastructure and has been largely abandoned. There simply would not be any space for freight or extra trains.
On the train from Augsburg to Memmingen
The station of Memmingen is a good example. There are barely enough tracks when corresponding passenger trains leave from here towards Munich, Augsburg, Kempten and Lindau via Kisslegg. Each delay leads to a problem. The beautiful old station building has been reduced to being the backdrop for a modernized station having lost all attractiveness. In the function to welcome passengers the old station has been replaced by a modern construction which is hard to beat in ugliness. At least it offers some services inside like a bakery where you can buy a coffee if enough time is left between trains.
Memmingen station
Due to the station full of trains the ride to Kisslegg is running late. I ask the conductor whether I will be able to get the connection. His answer is “Theoretically, yes”. But he is coming back later to confirm that his colleague will be waiting for us.
Memmingen station
Meanwhile I watch a girl in the booth adjoining mine in her attempt to improve her everyday appearance by taking selfie tests. She tries various smiles, tucks at her hair, varies the angle of her face in the light. Next to her a shopping bag with a brand name on it. It must be from a different day of shopping: no shops were open this early before the train left Memmingen.
Countryside near Memmingen
It would be bad luck if you have a lot of time to spend at the station of Kisslegg. Even so it is another of these little railway hubs there are no facilities and not enough tracks. In fact, the train from Memmingen has to enter on the same track on which my next train from Kisslegg to Aulendorf is leaving. We make a very slow approach and stop behind an ugly red railcar, I rush out, jump on the other train and we leave.
In the station of Aulendorf, in the background right the train to Sigmaringen
The pretty station of Aulendorf, on the other hand, has plenty of tracks. It was not modernized. Four of the ugly red railcars wait on dead end track 1, doors open, ready to depart. I am lucky to board the first one. It is the only one of the four that leaves. The others stay behind. I hope they told those other guys in there before the departure that they have to change the car since theirs will stay behind. So there is another rule to remember: if there is a train consisting of several parts at departure, always step into the first, front part. Otherwise they might leave you behind, or you might be told to change after the front part has filled up
Somewhere along the line between Aulendorf and Sigmaringen
The train stops at various ugly stations, sometimes for letting an oncoming train pass. Facing my window a father waits on the platform for his train with his little daughter. The girl tries to get his attention. She looks at him expectantly. However, he is absorbed in his smartphone.
Sigmaringen station
In Sigmaringen the beautiful old station is still in use. Only the platforms are modernized. Above the vast station area hovers Sigmaringen castle. It was the seat of the princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and is still owned by the family but can be visitied on guided tours.
Sigmaringen station
In the times when nobility was the prerequisite for rulership families originating from unimportant provincial capitals of one of the many little duchies of Germany could rise to unexpected importance. Several of the members of the family of Sachsen-Coburg in the little town of Coburg in northern Bavaria acquired the British crown. Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica (Sophie Auguste Friederike) von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, born in the little capital of Schwerin, became Catherine the Great, empress of Russia. Karl Eitel of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was the member of the family who became prince (1866–1881) and then, under the name Carol, King of Romania (reigned 1881–1914). His family held the throne until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947 (see parts 11 and 13). Another branch of the family provided the Prussian kings and emperors.
Pendolino train to Immendingen in Sigmaringen
In Sigmaringen I board a Pendolino DMU for the trip to Immendingen. The line follows the upper Danube valley, an area which is still largely free of ugly business parks and the tarmac of parking lots. Steam rises from the damp meadows which are now covered by the hot sun. The valley is lined by imposing limestone rocks, sometimes crowned with the ruin of a castle. Many of the old bridges are still protected by Nepomuk, the saint who takes care of bridges, skippers and millers.
The road following the valley is wide and modernized. Guardrails protect those drivers who are tempted to excessive speed by the design of the road. The train rumbles over tracks which were designed 150 years ago, rusty bridges, abandoned stations and the odd tunnel. As long as it is not modernized, it is definitely one of the more attractive railway lines in Germany.
Some steam engines of the railway museum in Tuttlingen
In Immendingen I change onto a modern double-deck train to Offenburg. Even if they would have bothered to clean the windows it is the most unsuitable train to enjoy one of the masterpieces of German railway engineering. The 149 km of rail between Singen and Offenburg are called Schwarzwaldbahn. It was built between 1863 and 1873 and is the only real main line mountain railway in Germany. The maximum grade is 2%. Between Hausach and St. Georgen the railway overcomes an altitude difference of more than 564 meters and crosses 37 tunnels. As the crow flies, the two places are only 21 kilometers apart, but the distance by rail is 38 kilometers.
Changing trains in Immendingen
Even today the electric train winds slowly through the curving slopes. The reason is not to give the passenger a better view of the scenery. I wonder how many of them, most absorbed into their screens, are aware of the wonders of the outside world. The low speed is due to the unsuitable use of the modern trains which lead to excessive wear of the rails in the narrow curves.
Schwarzwald from the train
In Offenburg I change for the train to Strassburg, a city which, as seat of the European parliament, could be regarded as one of Europe’s capitals. Nevertheless, this international rail connection is served by a simple Diesel railcar, crowded like a sardine can. This time it is not the fault of Deutsche Bahn. The railcar is operated by the private railway company SWEG.
Arrival in the big station of Offenburg
The well preserved medieval old town of Strasbourg is well known by tourists. I have been here before, the first time more than 40 years ago with a group of friends from University. It is still early and therefore I decide to take another train to Nancy, a town which I do not know yet.
The railcar of the international train from Offenburg to Strasbourg
45 min of waiting time give me the chance to wander around and admire Strasbourg’s grand station. After the victory in the war of 1870/1871 Strasbourg together with Alsace and Lorraine became part of the German empire. The new central station of Strasbourg built from 1878 to 1883 according to the plans of German architects Friedrich Wilhelm Beemelmans (1837-1906) and Johann Eduard Jacobsthal (1839-1902) was built as a symbol to the political situation. Its neo-Renaissance and neo-Gothic style was typical for official buildings of the German Empire.
Strasbourg station
The bas-reliefs in the station hall are representative of the era. Next to the coats of arms of the city there is a representation of Germania welcoming Alsace and Lorraine. Special imperial rooms with access onto the platform 1 were provided to accommodate the Emperor and his wife during their annual visit in the capital of Reichsland with their private train.
Modern addition to Strasbourg’s grand station
However, also the technical installations, complete electrification and heating with low pressure steam, was innovative when it was inaugurated in 1883. The spaces dedicated to travelers were luxurious and comfortable, with 2nd and 3rd class waiting rooms, a lounge for ladies traveling alone and a post office.
Reliefs of Germania welcoming Alsace and Lorraine
Since that time the building was rebuilt several times, most noteworthy in 2007 with the arrival of the TGV. A glass vault was added in front of the historic facade to improve exchange of travelers between train and the various means of local transport. Various other reconstructions are planned for the near future. So far the different rebuilding projects did not surrender the station to all those businesses blocking the way to the platforms like in all those other reconstructed European stations. I hope it stays like that.
Local train in Strasbourg
It turns out that Nancy (like Strasbourg, by the way) is an ideal interrail stopover point. There are hotels right next to the station and it is only a short walk to a spectacular city center.
Place Stanislas in Nancy
The heart of old Nancy is Place Stanislas. In one of those strange moves of multi-state European history, after the war of Polish succession in 1737, the Duchy of Lorraine was given to Stanislaus I Leszczyński, former Polish king and father in law of the French king Louis XV. Between 1752 and 1756 the city center and square were rebuilt under his orders. The architecturally consistent baroque square and its surrounding is one of the oldest example of monumental city planning. In 1983 it was declared a UNESCO monument.
Arc Héré between Place Stanislas and Place Carrière
The square is off limit for cars and lined by cafes. Evening strollers enjoy the last sun. One of those little sightseeing trains is waiting for tourists. Couples meet at the foot of the statue of Stanislas in the middle of the square for an evening date. It is a bucolic scene which reminds of one of the paintings of Watteau.
Porte de la Craffe
However, the square as such is only the middle of a practically intact medieval town. A passage leads to one of those triumphal arches which were popular in those times. Behind is the former palace of the duke of Lorraine, now a museum. Even a part of city wall with the porte de la Craffe is preserved.
Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine
Between the porte and place Stanislas the cobbled streets are lined with street cafes and restaurants offering typical Lorraine cusine and beer. While enjoying a nice dinner I observe the passer-by in the pedestrian zone.
Gates at the Place Stanislas
Nancy is also famous for the "École de Nancy", a group of artists and architects working in art nouveau style. Under their influence Nancy became a center of art and architecture with the nickname "Capitale de l'Est". The museum of the École de Nancy refers to that movement.
Art Deco in Nancy
A part of the city center is torn open for the construction of a novel mono-rail tramway. For once the station square between the station and my hotel is not occupied by cars: a new parking garage is covered by a new square with more cafes and restaurants. It is too inviting to stay here for another drink than spend the evening in an hotel room.
Art Deco in Nancy
Day 4
SNCF 37531 Nancy 10.20 – Metz 10.58
SNCF 88734 Metz 11.44 – Luxembourg 12.45
CFL 5335 Luxembourg 13.16 – Liege 15.54
SNCB 8953 Liege 16.08 – Maastricht 16.54
NS 864 Maastricht 17.01 – Amsterdam 19.25
The station in Nancy
Frequently the difference when booking a hotel with one of the well-known booking sites or on the hotel site is that the breakfast is not included. When I know that I spend most of the coming day on trains without catering I like to have a good breakfast. In those french chain hotels it is usually better to see what they have got for breakfast before you decide to get it. Visitors to the breakfast room have to put a card into a basket at the entrance. I don’t have one and tell the guard that I will pay afterwards.
The grand station of Metz
From Nancy I board the train to Metz. Metz has another one of those grand station buildings. After the annexation of Lorraine Metz became of strategic importance for imperial Germany. The strategic Schlieffen plan required the transport of troops by train in 24 hours from the western to the eastern frontier of the empire. A special railway of 800 km long, the cannon railway railway, was built from Berlin to Metz. The station in Metz, an enormous building of 305 m in length and a magnificent clock tower in neo romanesque style, was built in 1905-1908 after the plans of the German architect Jürgen Kröger. A stained glass window still shows an image of emperor Charlemagne. The station also still houses the former quarters built for emperor Wilhem II. To set things right, however, the station square is named after General De Gaulle. The station forms the center of the so called imperial quarter of the town, also built during the German occupation.
SNCF train fin Metz
Metz has an interesting history of more than 3000 years. Its city center with numerous historic monuments is on a list to be nominated by UNESCO. Its surroundings still witness the atrocities of WW I. It will be worth another post.
Remainders of steel industry in Uckange
The train to Luxembourg is another double deck train of the Luxembourgian railway CFL. North of Metz the train passes through an industrial landscape bearing the marks of heavy industry. Behind the small station of Uckange the enormous stack of an abandoned blast furnace dominates the skyline.
The yard of Luxembourg main station
Next to me is Schabrac, a guy of 26 from Benin. He is civil engineer. He has studied in Metz and likes his life and work here. He lives in Metz but works in Luxembourg and has to commute every day. His brother also works in France. I wonder how he manages a couple of weeks later when the railway line from Metz to Luxembourg is closed down completely for construction works and his daily commuting of one hour one-way will be even more complicated.
Also Lusembourg station got a modern glas addition
While the access by train to Luxembourg station is rather boring from the south it is spectacular from the north. The train approaches across high viaducts and through a tunnel. The spectacular location of the walled old town can be appreciated to the west of the track. On arrival one can see the two 360` roundhouses of the steam area which are preserved to the east of the tracks.
Inside Luxembourg station
Luxembourg is another interesting place for a stopover. The spotless old town is full of historic buildings. The wealth of the town is reflected by the great number of notable museums like the National Museum of History and Art (MNHA), the Luxembourg City History Museum, the new Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (Mudam) and the National Museum of Natural History (NMHN). And of course the price of cigarettes is at a record low in comparison to the neighboring countries.
The viaduct leading the north-bound trains in and out of Luxembourg
A train ride of almost 3 hours links Luxembourg with the Walloon town of Liege. This is another spectacular train ride which crosses the Belgian Ardennes and follows in large parts the winding valley of the rivers Salm, Ambleve and Ourthe. There are numerous tunnels, old bridges and historic villages. Notwithstanding the doubtful weather the train is full of hikers in rain gear with backpacks.
Hiker in the valley of the Ourthe
In Liege the Ourthe joins the Meusse. Liege was another center of heavy industry. Most of the steel factories have closed down and the blast furnaces are cold. The town is busy with a refacing. When arriving by train the most prominent example thereof is the stylish modern station designed by the Spanish star architect Calatrava. At a previous visit in winter there were cables running all over the floor. They led to electrical heaters in the shops and waiting areas. The architect, probably more used to heat than freezing cold, had forgotten to install any heating.
Calatrava's station of Liége
Until the 1960’ies Liege was the center of an extensive tram and local rail network. By then all of these lines were closed down. The city was disfigured by a monstrous network of highways. In the 1980’ies the mistake was recognized and the development stopped. However, by then the damage was done. Now the town is busy building new, modern tram lines. The attractive historic town center is slowly turned into a pedestrian zone.
On sundays the main highway disfiguring the riverside in Liége is turned into a big market
In Liège we come back to the realm of the Habsburgs. Between 984 and 1794 Liëge was ruled by a prince Bishop. Since the Prince-Bishopric was part of the Holy Roman Empire which, after 1477, came under the rule of the Habsburgs, the city was technically ruled by the Habsburg German emperor.
What is lost ... map of local train lines in Liége prefecture
Liege also houses a number of attractive musea. One is the Museum of public transport in Wallonia. It tells the story of all what was lost in the time before 1960 and how the views of city planning have changed in the course of time.
Steam tram engine
From the gala carriage of François-Antoine de Méan, the last Prince-Bishop of Liège, and the Ciney-Dinant stagecoach, the last used in Wallonia, the collection covers horse drawn trams, steam tram engines, electric trams and engines and trolley buses.
Trolleybus T402, the only example in the world of a reversible trolleybus.
East-West train engine No. 43: the oldest preserved electric tram in Belgium.
SNCV/NMVB train engine No. 19: the oldest preserved SNCV/NMVB electric engine in Wallonia.
One of the typical long distance trams which had a network allover Belgium
Liege forms an international city triangle with the towns of Maastricht in the Netherlands and Aachen in Belgium. Somebody has had the idea that this must be symbolized by a trinational train linking the three towns. It runs from Liege to Aachen via Maastricht. It is unclear why somebody should use this long detour to go from Liege to Aachen since there is a fast direct train connection. On the other hand the new prestige project does not improve the disgracingly slow train connection between Maastricht and Aachen. The fact that Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands all use different rail electricity supplies and safety systems neither helps improving rail services.
Liége station and the new tram to be built
The line between Liege and Maastricht used to be served by direct intercities between Maastricht and Brussels. They were replaced by electric railcars so old that they became iconic. Like most Belgian trains these services were reliable and punctual. In contrast, the new trinational train has its problems. The doorspäter. don’t want to close or lock. Nervously the conductor runs up and down the train to operate the door mechanism from the different driver cabins. In each station a warning signal stops the train again for minutes until the problem is solved. The trains are well used but the number of seats has not increased.
The reliable old train linking Liége and Maastricht
The train follows the river Meuse, which changes its name in Maas at the Dutch border, through a post-industrial landscape.
Maastricht station
In Maastricht the train enters another of those great station buildings. The architecture, designed by George van Heukelom in 1913, is inspired by Berlage. It is built from 2 million bricks with beautiful granite details. For the first time in the Netherlands the platform roofs were carried out in reinforced concrete. The station was a combination of a terminus station and a station for through trains. Today the Dutch trains towards Amsterdam leave from the terminal part of the station. As a border station it originally had facilities for customs. They have disappeared like the three waiting rooms and the separate waiting rooms for detainees and the mentally handicapped.
Maastricht station
Across the station square there is a beautiful old hotel. Although, when lodging there, you will probably end up in the modern annex, it has a stylish and very good restaurant. And when you want to afford it, you can book the spectacular room in the tower hovering in the corner of the building above the station square.
Grand Hotel de l'Empereur
For a long time Maastricht was under the double rulership of the prince-bishop of Liège and the duke of Brabant. As such it also was part of the Habsburg lands. In the 80 years war of Dutch independence from the Spanish Habsburgs the Dutch stadhouder Frederik Hendrik conquered the city in 1632. From that time on it became part of the seven United Dutch Provinces.
Maas-bridge in Maastricht
Maastricht has an attractive old town with a number of medieval buildings. The photomuseum at the Vrijthof, the central square in town, is in an historic building which has been spectacularly rebuilt for the purpose. It also has a nice cafe. Maastricht used to be a border fortress, and a part of the fortifications are preserved.
The St. Servaas chruch buildings at the Vrijthof in Maastricht
From Maastricht to Amsterdam it is another train ride of 2,5 hours on one of the double deck trains of NS. The train crosses most of the Netherlands. Usually part of the line is closed for reconstruction. There is always a reason for interruptions: a badger’s den in the dam under the track will stop the operation of trains for weeks, like a storck’s nest on the top of an electricity mast, undermining by an unexpected flood, lack of personnel, signal or point fault or simple construction works. Although use of the interrail ticket allows the wildest detours there is none for the section between Sittard and Roermond. For unknown reasons that is exactly the bit of the line where interruptions are most frequent. Historically Maastricht is closer to Belgium than to Holland. Maybe they should eventually draw the political consequences…..
Access to the central platform of the station in Maastricht
Link to the previous post:
Access to the terminal platforms in Maastricht
Sources:
Information panels, Strasbourg station
Changing trains in Eindhoven
