Schauinslandbahn

Schauinslandbahn carries you from Horben through Germany’s Black Forest to the summit of Schauinsland. The route stretches 3.6 kilometres and climbs 746 metres between its lower and upper stations. A fifteen-minute ride reveals the mountain landscape from continuously moving gondolas. At 3.6 kilometres, the line is Germany’s longest gondola lift.

Opened in 1930, the line followed Professor Georg Benoit’s design and introduced continuous operation with multiple cabins. That system made it the first suspended cable car of its kind. After a 1932 accident, strengthened safety measures influenced ropeway technology across Europe. During the Second World War, night journeys carried supplies to military hospitals while air attacks threatened the mountain.

Freiburg acquired the line in 1968, and VAG Freiburg integrated it in 1982. A 1987 modernization replaced the original ten cabins with thirty-seven smaller ones. The change removed conductors and increased the lift’s operating efficiency. Wheelchair access adds a practical detail to this historic journey above Horben.