Northern Railway (Austria)
Encyclopedia
The Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway was the name of a former railway company during the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy
. Its main line was supposed to connect Vienna
with salt mines in Bochnia
near Kraków
. Today, the term is still used to describe certain railway lines which were formerly operated by that company.
The Nordbahn, or Kaiser Ferdinands
-Nordbahn, was Austria's first steam railway company
and financed by Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
(1774-1855). The first track was built between Floridsdorf
and Deutsch Wagram in 1837. The extension to Vienna
was built in 1838, and the track through Břeclav
(Lundenburg) to Brünn
in 1839. In 1841 it reached Přerov
(Prerau) and Olomouc
(Ölmütz) and in 1842 Lipník nad Bečvou
(Leipnik). Extension to Ostrava
(Ostrau) and Bohumín
(Oderberg) was finished in 1847. Nordbahn never directly reached Kraków
(Krakau) or Bochnia
. The first way to Kraków on rails via Bogumin (Oderberg), Kozle
(Kosel), and Mysłowice (Myslowitz) was served by the Prussian lines of William's Railway (Wilhelmsbahn) and Upper Silesian Railway (Oberschlesische Bahn). The line from Mysłowice to Kraków was built by the Krákow and Upper Silesia Railway (Kolej Krakowsko-Górnośląska / Krakau-Oberschlesische Bahn). An intern Austrian rail route from Vienna to Kraków did not exist, before in 1856 the Austrian Eastern National Railway (k.k. Östliche Staatsbahn), descender of the Krákow and Upper Silesian, opened a branch form Trzebinia
via Oświęcim
to Dziedzice
, where it met the Northern Railway.
The Northern Railway company was nationalized in 1907. It also owned a lot of coal mines
and other industry enterprises in Ostrava
region. After the nationalization of its railway network, it continued its coal and industry businesses.
The k.k. Nordbahnhof (Vienna North railway station; today Wien Praterstern railway station) was destroyed in World War II
and rebuilt in 1962 along with the bridge across the Danube
. Today, the express trains going from Vienna to Brno leave from Vienna Südbahnhof. North Station is only used for suburban and regional train lines.
Lines built by Nordbahn lying in today's Austria
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. Its main line was supposed to connect Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
with salt mines in Bochnia
Bochnia
Bochnia is a town of 30,000 inhabitants on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately in halfway [] between Tarnów and the regional capital Kraków . Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Europe, built circa 1248...
near Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. Today, the term is still used to describe certain railway lines which were formerly operated by that company.
The Nordbahn, or Kaiser Ferdinands
Ferdinand I of Austria
Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria, President of the German Confederation, King of Hungary and Bohemia , as well as associated dominions from the death of his father, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, until his abdication after the Revolutions of 1848.He married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child...
-Nordbahn, was Austria's first steam railway company
Railway company
A railway company or railroad company is an entity that operates a railroad track and/or trains. Such a company can either be private or public...
and financed by Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
Salomon Mayer von Rothschild was a German-born banker in the Austrian Empire and the founder of the Viennese branch of the prominent Mayer Amschel Rothschild family....
(1774-1855). The first track was built between Floridsdorf
Floridsdorf
Floridsdorf is the 21st district of Vienna, Austria .Floridsdorf is located in the northern part of Vienna.The District Office and the centre of Floridsdorf are located round Am Spitz, at the junction of Prager Straße and Brünner Straße .Since 2004, Floridsdorf has had its own tower: the...
and Deutsch Wagram in 1837. The extension to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
was built in 1838, and the track through Břeclav
Breclav
Břeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, approximately 55 km southeast of Brno. It is located at the border with Lower Austria on the Dyje River. The nearest large town on Austrian territory is Hohenau an der March...
(Lundenburg) to Brünn
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
in 1839. In 1841 it reached Přerov
Prerov
Přerov is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic where the Bečva river flows through. Přerov is a statute town . It has population of about 47,373 to January 2, 2008. Přerov is about 22 km south west of Olomouc. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the...
(Prerau) and Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
(Ölmütz) and in 1842 Lipník nad Bečvou
Lipník nad Becvou
Lipník nad Bečvou is a small town located in the Olomouc Region, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. The nearest larger towns are Přerov and Hranice, approximately ten to twelve kilometers distant....
(Leipnik). Extension to Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
(Ostrau) and Bohumín
Bohumín
Bohumín is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
(Oderberg) was finished in 1847. Nordbahn never directly reached Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
(Krakau) or Bochnia
Bochnia
Bochnia is a town of 30,000 inhabitants on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately in halfway [] between Tarnów and the regional capital Kraków . Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Europe, built circa 1248...
. The first way to Kraków on rails via Bogumin (Oderberg), Kozle
Kozle
Koźle is a district of Kędzierzyn-Koźle and is at the junction of the Kłodnica and Odra rivers, 29 Ifl. southeast of Opole by rail. The district has a Roman Catholic church, a medieval chateau, remains of a 19th century fortress and a high school...
(Kosel), and Mysłowice (Myslowitz) was served by the Prussian lines of William's Railway (Wilhelmsbahn) and Upper Silesian Railway (Oberschlesische Bahn). The line from Mysłowice to Kraków was built by the Krákow and Upper Silesia Railway (Kolej Krakowsko-Górnośląska / Krakau-Oberschlesische Bahn). An intern Austrian rail route from Vienna to Kraków did not exist, before in 1856 the Austrian Eastern National Railway (k.k. Östliche Staatsbahn), descender of the Krákow and Upper Silesian, opened a branch form Trzebinia
Trzebinia
Trzebinia is a town in Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland, Poland with an Orlen oil refinery and a major rail junction of the Kraków - Katowice line that connections to Oświęcim and Spytkowice.-History:...
via Oświęcim
Oswiecim
Oświęcim is a town in the Lesser Poland province of southern Poland, situated west of Kraków, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula and Soła.- History :...
to Dziedzice
Dziedzice
Dziedzice may refer to the following places:* Dziedzice, Greater Poland Voivodeship * Dziedzice, Masovian Voivodeship * Dziedzice, Krapkowice County in Opole Voivodeship...
, where it met the Northern Railway.
The Northern Railway company was nationalized in 1907. It also owned a lot of coal mines
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and other industry enterprises in Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
region. After the nationalization of its railway network, it continued its coal and industry businesses.
The k.k. Nordbahnhof (Vienna North railway station; today Wien Praterstern railway station) was destroyed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and rebuilt in 1962 along with the bridge across the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. Today, the express trains going from Vienna to Brno leave from Vienna Südbahnhof. North Station is only used for suburban and regional train lines.
Lines built by Nordbahn lying in today's AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, and PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
up to 1856
- FloridsdorfFloridsdorfFloridsdorf is the 21st district of Vienna, Austria .Floridsdorf is located in the northern part of Vienna.The District Office and the centre of Floridsdorf are located round Am Spitz, at the junction of Prager Straße and Brünner Straße .Since 2004, Floridsdorf has had its own tower: the...
-Deutsch Wagram (1837). First steam poweredSteam engineA steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
rail in Austria - WienViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(Wien Nordbahnhof)-GänserndorfGänserndorfGänserndorf is a town on the Marchfeld, Lower Austria, Austria and the capital of Bezirk Gänserndorf. It is about 20 km north of Vienna, to which it is connected by both the Angerner Straße and the Nordbahn railway line.-Landscape Park:Landscape Park in Gänserndorf covers an area of...
(1838) - GänserndorfGänserndorfGänserndorf is a town on the Marchfeld, Lower Austria, Austria and the capital of Bezirk Gänserndorf. It is about 20 km north of Vienna, to which it is connected by both the Angerner Straße and the Nordbahn railway line.-Landscape Park:Landscape Park in Gänserndorf covers an area of...
- LundenburgBreclavBřeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, approximately 55 km southeast of Brno. It is located at the border with Lower Austria on the Dyje River. The nearest large town on Austrian territory is Hohenau an der March...
(1839), the oldest steam powered railway on in Moravia (today part of the Czech Republic)Czech rail recordsCzech rail records, dates in brackets indicate when the record was reached or when the railway infrastructure was put into operation.First horse-drawn railway... - LundenburgBreclavBřeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, approximately 55 km southeast of Brno. It is located at the border with Lower Austria on the Dyje River. The nearest large town on Austrian territory is Hohenau an der March...
- Brünn (1839) - LundenburgBreclavBřeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, approximately 55 km southeast of Brno. It is located at the border with Lower Austria on the Dyje River. The nearest large town on Austrian territory is Hohenau an der March...
- GödingHodonínHodonín is a town on the River Morava in the southeast of Moravia, in the Czech Republic. It lies in the South Moravian Region. The population is 26,226 . Hodonín was first mentioned in 1046. In 1228 it became a town...
- AltstadtStaré Mesto (Uherské Hradište District)Staré Město is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic near Uherské Hradiště. Population: 6,766 .-External links:*...
- PrerauPrerovPřerov is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic where the Bečva river flows through. Přerov is a statute town . It has population of about 47,373 to January 2, 2008. Přerov is about 22 km south west of Olomouc. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the...
(1841) - PrerauPrerovPřerov is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic where the Bečva river flows through. Přerov is a statute town . It has population of about 47,373 to January 2, 2008. Přerov is about 22 km south west of Olomouc. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the...
- ÖlmützOlomoucOlomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
(1841) - PrerauPrerovPřerov is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic where the Bečva river flows through. Přerov is a statute town . It has population of about 47,373 to January 2, 2008. Přerov is about 22 km south west of Olomouc. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the...
- LeipnikLipník nad BecvouLipník nad Bečvou is a small town located in the Olomouc Region, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. The nearest larger towns are Přerov and Hranice, approximately ten to twelve kilometers distant....
(1842) - LeipnikLipník nad BecvouLipník nad Bečvou is a small town located in the Olomouc Region, in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. The nearest larger towns are Přerov and Hranice, approximately ten to twelve kilometers distant....
- Weißkirchen - OstrauOstravaOstrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
- OderbergBohumínBohumín is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
(1847) - OstrauOstravaOstrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
- TroppauOpavaOpava is a city in the northern Czech Republic on the river Opava, located to the north-west of Ostrava. The historical capital of Czech Silesia, Opava is now in the Moravian-Silesian Region and has a population of 59,843 as of January 1, 2005....
(1855) - OderbergBohumínBohumín is a town in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic on the border with Poland. The confluence of the Oder and Olza Rivers is situated just north of the town. The town lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....
- Petrowitz bei FreistadtPetrovice u Karvinéis a village in Karviná District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. It has a population of 5,211 , which makes it the second largest village in the Czech Republic . 16.2% of the population are the Poles...
- AuschwitzOswiecimOświęcim is a town in the Lesser Poland province of southern Poland, situated west of Kraków, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula and Soła.- History :...
; DziedlitzCzechowice-DziedziceCzechowice-Dziedzice is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 34,867 inhabitants . It lies on the northeastern edge of the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia...
- BielitzBielsko-Biała-Economy and Industry:Nowadays Bielsko-Biała is one of the best-developed parts of Poland. It was ranked 2nd best city for business in that country by Forbes. About 5% of people are unemployed . Bielsko-Biała is famous for its textile, machine-building, and especially automotive industry...
(1855) - AuschwitzOswiecimOświęcim is a town in the Lesser Poland province of southern Poland, situated west of Kraków, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula and Soła.- History :...
- KrakauKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
(This line was built by the Eastern National RailwayEastern National Railway (Austria)The k.k. Östliche Staatsbahn was a national railway company in the Cisleithania part of Habsburg Austria. It was founded in 1850 on the base of the Cracow and Upper Silesia Railway for the purpose to build up a railway network in the crown land of Galicia and Ladomiria...
in 1856, and later taken over by the Northern Railway)