Over the mountain

    "Mürzzuschlag, the gate to the south!" The title of the permanent exhibition stands for connecting the disconnected, for opening up new places – and for the yearning to come into contact with the ‘wider world’. From the nostalgic departure hall of the SOUTHERN RAILWAY museum with its cash desk, kiosk and café wagon, we embark on an exciting journey through the varied history of the railway in the former Lokmontagehalle (engine assembly hall). The construction of the railway ‘over the mountain’ was one of the most spectacular and costly railway projects of the 19th century. With the completion of the »SÜDBAHN« in 1857, there was now a continuous railway connection between the royal residence city of Vienna and Trieste, the most important port of the Habsburg monarchy.

    Exhibition

    Roundhouse

    Austria's largest draisine, railway carriage and two-way vehicle collection and historically significant locomotives in the roundhouse. In 2007, the SOUTHERN RAILWAY Museum was extended by an additional exhibition hall in the form of the roundhouse. In addition to the largest collection of draisines, motor coaches and two-way vehicles in Austria, historic steam and electric locomotives can also be seen here. Highlights include the 180.01 steam locomotive, on loan from the Technical Museum in Vienna or the so-called ‘C-train’ – a construction of the legendary Ferdinand Porsche. The exhibition on the historical development of standard-gauge draisines, railcars and motor coaches shows more than 40 original vehicles.

    The locomotives

    The gateway to the World Heritage Semmering Railway!

    The construction of the railway over the Semmering

    Between 1848 and 1854, the world's first mountain railway was built under the direction of Carl Ritter von Ghega; in 1998, it became the first railway in the world to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    The construction of the Semmeringbahn was a milestone for the transport industry: For the first time, a high mountain range could be crossed with the then-new rail transport system by means of a special route. Numerous large viaducts and tunnels up to 1.5 kilometers long had to be built without any mechanical support.

    The SOUTHERN RAILWAY (SÜDBAHN) Museum Mürzzuschlag

    steiermark card© Steiermark cardTwo locomotive halls host a varied exhibition on the Southern Railway (Südbahn) between Vienna and Trieste and a vehicle exhibition with the largest collection of draisines and motor coaches in Austria. Thanks to the construction of the railway to Graz in 1844, The city of Mürzzuschlag counts as one of the oldest towns in Austria to have a railway, and is full of a rich history of trains

    Watch the video for the Southern Railway Museum