history

The Maribor – Franzensfeste railway line was built by Austrian construction company Südbahngesellschaft. Inaugurated on November 30th 1871, it had a strategic purpose for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, after losing Veneto to Italy. The only railway access to Tyrol was the Salzburg-Rosenheim-Kufstein. Alongiside this primary function, the new railway line brought new holidaymakers to Pustertal. As a result, towns such as Toblach, Prags and Sexten became extremely popular tourist destinations. Toblach and the surrounding area soon became a well-known summer destination, frequented by celebrities not only from Vienna but also from elsewhere in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and other European countries. In1908, the Bruneck-Freienfeld electric railway was completed, while the Toblach-Cortina-Calalzo line (also known as the Dolomite Railway) became operational in 1920.