180 years ago, the horse-drawn railway started

Prague - The Czech railway network is among the densest in Europe and also boasts a historical unique feature - on September 30, 1828, the operation of the horse-drawn railway was launched, which became the first construction of its kind in continental Europe. The railway connected České Budějovice with Austrian Linz and was fully operational from 1932. In 1936, it was extended by another 200 kilometers to the salt mines near Gmünden.
The track with a gauge of 1106 millimeters was made of sleepers, on which wooden beams were attached as rails, reinforced with iron straps. To cover the 129 kilometers between Budějovice and Linz, passenger trains needed a full 14 hours. Goods trains took up to three days for the journey. The most commonly transported goods were salt, wood, and coal.
In 1868, the reconstruction of the track began to enable the operation of steam locomotives, and the last horse-drawn train ran on December 15, 1870. In 1971, the horse-drawn railway, or more precisely what remained of it, was declared a national cultural monument.