Celebration for the 175th birthday: Geislinger Steige as engineering!

Celebration for the 175th birthday: Geislinger Steige as engineering!

Geislingen an der Steige, Deutschland - On June 29, 2025, Geislinger Steige, a technical masterpiece of engineering, celebrates its 175th birthday. This building, which was opened in 1850, marked the first crossing of the Swabian Alb and has significantly shaped the development of the Geislingen region in the Göppingen district. This remarkable railway line, which has a slope of 22.5 per thousand, is rightly considered one of the steepest rail routes in Europe. On the 5.7 kilometers, the trains overcome a height difference of impressive 112 meters, which has always been a challenge for the locomotives.

At that time, when construction began in 1847, around 3000 workers were involved in the project. Most came from Württemberg, but also from Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland. A certain risk was the order of the day because there was no occupational safety regulations. At that time, Geislingen had just 2345 inhabitants, and the accommodation and meals of the workers were major challenges. Today the city has grown to around 27,000 inhabitants and still benefits from the historical building.

economic upswing through the train

The Geislinger Steige was not only an engineering masterpiece, but also a driving factor for the economic development of the region. With the construction of the railway line, numerous factories were created along the Filstal that created new jobs. In 1883, the Straub & Sohn machine factory became Maschinenfabrik AG, which soon rose to Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG. The Württemberg Metalwarenfabrik AG (WMF), which emerged from a small plaqué factory in 1880, is now the largest employer in the Filstal.

The importance of the Geislinger Steige remains undisputed to this day. The region is still dependent on this transport branch. After the opening of the Stuttgart-Ulm new line in 2022, the old route still has an important place in regional traffic. The Geislinger Steig is particularly good in the goods transport: Around 80 freight trains daily are planned for 2025, which underlines the role of the route as an important traffic axis in Baden-Württemberg.

historical festival weekend

on the festival weekend for the 175th anniversary of the Geislinger Steige awaits visitors an exciting journey through time. Historical steam locomotives, including the steam locomotive 58 311 and 97 501 as well as the electrolok E94 088, will be used and the fascination of railway history will be alive. Such events are part of a wide range of anecdotes and reports that can be found in publications such as Bahn, among other things. This delivers exciting informative contributions about the developments in German railway history and captivates railway enthusiasts.

The Geislinger Steige is not only an impressive technical construction, but also a symbol of the economic and social development of the region. With its unique location and history, it is very important in Germany's railway history. This historical route is an absolute must for everyone who is interested in the railway and its background.