The Shortest Cable Car in the World

The 66 meter long funicular in Zagreb is the shortest cable car in the world, which the citizens of Zagreb have been using since 1890 to go between the Upper and Lower Towns. Today it is a protected cultural monument and one of the most interesting attractions for many tourists.

On the list of attractions which delight tourists, the Zagreb funicular certainly always has a significant place. The shortest cable car in the world, only 66 meters longs, has been transporting the citizens of Zagreb between the Upper and Lower Towns for the last century. It was opened in 1890 and until 1934 it was driven by steam. It has maintained its original look and construction until today and that is why it is a protected cultural monument. The lower station is located on Tomićeva Street which leads to Ilica – the longest street in Zagreb, while the other station is located at the base of Lotršćak Tower, on the Upper Town's Strossmayer promenade.
The introduction of Zagreb's funicular is credited to Osijek's business man, D.W. Klein, who during his time concluded that Zagreb could have one based on the models of Budapest, Zurich and other European cities. For that reason, everyday he was under the stairs on Bregovita Street (today's Tomićeva Street) measuring the frequency of pedestrian traffic by simply counting the number of passersby. He came to the conclusion that it was busy enough to build a funicular in place of the public stairs. In 1888, he submitted an application to the City Council to obtain a building permit. He was granted the permit immediately and started building the funicular the next year. However, the construction did not go exactly according to plan and even the trial ride was ridden with many problems. Therefore, it was officially put into use on October 8, 1890. The funicular went through difficult times the following year, there were temporary halts, and there were even times when the passengers had to push it to make it move at all.
The funicular is made up of two wagons, each with a capacity of 16 seats and 12 standing places. The highest allowed speed is 1.5m/s and the ride lasts a total of 55 seconds. Since 1929 is has been under the control of the Zagreb Tram Company and due to deterioration it underwent complete reconstruction in 1973 under the surveillance of a curator and was put back in working order the following year.