What are the 10 Surprising funicular interesting facts, you didn’t know about Funiculars? The funicular is a very uncommon mode of transportation that pulls itself up and down slopes or cliffs using a rope system. They combine the technology of an elevator and a train, but differ from both in that the weight of the two cars balances each other out; one travels up while the other moves down. This odd means of transportation gets its name from the Latin word ‘rope’ (funiculus).
They generally have a distinct appearance since each city and nation has created its funiculars. They may be found in a variety of places, but are most abundant in Europe, South America, and North America. The first funicular was completed in 1875, and it has been in operation ever since.
List of 10 Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Funiculars:
10. Valparaiso is the City with the Most Funiculars in the World
Valparaiso is a port city on Chile’s west coast. It has a bohemian and punk vibe to it since it is filled with artists and, of course, funiculars. Valparaiso is unusual in that it is made up of numerous colourful residences built into hills and cliffs, giving you a glimpse of the vast dazzling ocean below. A funicular trip is the greatest way to experience this. Originally, 30 funiculars were erected in Valparaiso; 15 of them still exist, and the government is working to restore the others.
Each funicular is named after a person or a mountain (for example, “Polanco Funicular” after Polanco mountain), and a trip costs between 100 and 300 Chilean pesos each way (less than half a dollar). The “Concepcion,” erected in 1883, is the oldest in Valparaiso.
9. Bournemouth Puts the ‘Fun’ in Funiculars and is the Shortest in the World
England has 17 funiculars in total, one of which is the world’s smallest, the “Fisherman’s Walk Cliff Railway” in Bournemouth, which is just 39 meters long (128 feet). This 1935 funicular connects the top of the cliff to one of Bournemouth’s long sandy beaches and vice versa.
In May 2018, artist ‘Language, Timothy!’ utilized the funicular as a stage, performing two works, one on each of the passenger cars while the funicular was operating. ‘Sound Journeys – The Longest Second’ was an intimate investigation of the subject “what if the different journeys of two strangers with interconnected tales, travelling on opposing cars of the cliff lift, crossed for one second?” It gathered almost 500 people, illustrating that funiculars can be both short and entertaining.
8. Funiculars Used to be Operated using Tanks of Water
When funiculars were initially erected, many of them relied on a water tank system rather than contemporary engines. In contrast to funiculars, they were referred to as “Hydraulic Lifts.” Empty tanks were placed on the bottom of each car and were filled and emptied until the cars balanced each other out and started moving, helped by natural forces.
The “Bom Jesus do Monte Funicular” is a Portuguese funicular that was erected in 1880 and is the world’s oldest funicular system. The water balancing system is used by the Swiss funicular “Neuveville – St-Pierre.” It is one-of-a-kind in that it utilizes sewage water. The funicular was erected in April 1897 to link the Fribourg neighbourhoods of Neuveville and Saint-Pierre. A Swiss transport organization considered modernizing the funicular to make it electronic, but they abandoned the project, and it continues to operate in this manner today.
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7. Katoomba’s Funicular, in Australia, has the Steepest Railway Incline of any in the World
A tourist destination named ‘Scenic World’ is located in the magnificent Blue Mountains of Katoomba, a tiny mountain hamlet west of Sydney. It has “The Scenic Railway,” a 415-meter-long funicular that sits at a 52-degree slant. This makes it the world’s steepest railway. The chairs include buttons that you may push to adjust how far back you wish to sit, with the seat moving as far back as 64 degrees (almost flat). The funicular’s ceiling is composed of glass, enabling passengers to gaze up at the trees as they go. This roller coaster-type funicular also includes gull-wing doors that open at the ceiling rather than the side, in the manner of Batman.
6. In the United States, More than 50 Funiculars are No Longer in Use
Funiculars are attractive, but they have also become nostalgic in the United States. Funiculars were popular in the United States throughout the nineteenth century, but by the 1950s, virtually all of them had fallen out of service. As alternative modes of transportation evolved, interest in funiculars faded, and many were destroyed by fires and never rebuilt. The “Mount Manitou Incline Railroad” (1907-1989) was one of the last to shut, and its abandoned track is now utilized for downhill running competitions.
Because Ohio is a city built on numerous mountains, the government constructed funiculars to move people and products up and down the slopes. Their funiculars are distinct in that, rather than being made up of two closed carriages, their platforms are open with entrances at street level. This meant that horses, carts, vehicles, and buses, among other things, could drive directly onto the funicular. By 1948, all of Ohio’s funiculars had been decommissioned, which was quite depressing for funicular enthusiasts.
5. In Late 19th Century Paris, a Funicular was used to Build the Basilica of the Sacred Heart
As Paris demonstrates, funiculars are useful not just for visitors but also for construction operations. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is a massive, regal Roman Catholic Church that was constructed in 1875. A funicular was constructed to transport goods up and down Montmartre hill. The bottom carriage was filled with stones and travelled to the top of the hill, where it was met by a horse-operated carriage that brought it along a railway to construction workers at the base of the basilica. A second funicular, completed in 1900, whisked people up the hill to the Basilica’s entrance.
The Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre was created in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian war in the nineteenth century. The country decided that if Paris survived the war, the basilica would be built. The building is medieval and was designed by Paul Abadie in the Romanesque-Byzantine style. Standing at the top of the magnificent dome, you can see the whole city of Paris spread out below you. A funicular made it all possible.
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4. There is a Funicular Built on a Volcano
A funicular was erected on top of Mount Vesuvius, a 4,190-foot-high volcano near Naples, Italy, in 1880 to transport visitors to the boiling hot precipice.
The construction of the structure started in 1870, under the supervision of Hungarian engineer Ernesto Emanuele Oblieght, to offer guests convenient access. When the funicular opened in June 1880, there was a considerable deal of public enthusiasm. Luigi Denza even wrote the song ‘Funiculi-Funicula’ to commemorate the occasion. It only took him a few hours to compose, yet it was a huge success. Following that, some 300 people rode the funicular to the summit of the volcano daily.
Because the volcano has erupted multiple times since 1906, the funicular has been inoperable since 1943.
In Dresden, Switzerland, the “Dresden Schwebebahn” suspension railway spans 33 pillars hanging 84.2 meters in the air. It is the world’s oldest suspended monorail, having been built in 1891.
3. The Swiss Own the Steepest, Sleekest and most Suspended Funiculars
The Swiss also boast the world’s second steepest railroad, demonstrating their unrivalled skill for contemporary engineering (after Katoomba). The 110 per cent gradient “Stoosbahn” funicular ascends from Schwyz hamlet, south of Zurich, up into the snowy slopes of Stoos Alpine resort. The project took 5 years and cost €44.6 million to rebuild the Schwyz-Stoos funicular. It boasts a contemporary design of tiny, round, barrel-like pods with rotating glass panes to keep the floor level. The Stoosbahn took 14 years to plan and develop, and designers considered 15 distinct ideas before deciding on the final design.
2. The Busiest Funicular in the World is in Naples
Every year, the “Funicolare Centrale” ferries 10 million passengers between Vomero, Posillipo, and Naples city centre. On a typical day, the funicular transports around 28,000 people, with a capacity of 10,000 on less busy days. Busy people sought to go up to Piazza Vanitelli from Central Naples in 1928. The difficulties of mounting the steep hill prompted Naples City Council to construct the funicular.
Funiculars are an important feature of Napoli’s transportation system. Vomero and Arenella areas needed to be linked to the higher portion of Naples and the rest of the city, which inspired the brilliant concept of four interconnected railway lines.
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1. Austria’s Funicular Won the Stirling Prize for Architecture
“Hungerburg,” a spectacular double-curved glass funicular in Austria, is owned by the country. This technical marvel was created by Zaha Hadid, the “queen of the curve” (the Guardian), and inaugurated on December 1, 2007. This Iraqi-British architect received the Stirling Prize, the UK’s premier architectural prize, in both 2010 and 2011.
Since 2007, the Hungerburg has carried over 4.5 million people, making it one of the busiest funiculars in the world and a huge success. The funicular itself is elegant, but the station, a massive white curve that glitters in the light on top of a concrete foundation, is the most remarkable aspect. The neighbouring snow and ice mountains inspired Hadid, and the stations have the illusion of ‘weightlessness.’ The funicular is the first step towards the mountain, which may be accessed by panoramic cable cars, Seegrube, and Hafelekar.
