In Budějovice
Muzeum koněspřežky
On foot 25 min
A small museum recalls the first public railway on the European continent. It ran from here to Linz and horses still pulled the wagons. Not everyone welcomed the build: opposition was so strong that peasants went after the builders with axes. Inside you learn how it ended and why the line closed.
The museum is a branch of Jihočeské muzeum in the original guard house from 1828 — the only building in town directly linked to the horse-drawn railway. A track watchman lived here, called a vechtr: he guarded a little over two and a half kilometres of line and shared a house smaller than today's studio flat with his family. The exhibition is about his life and how the track was maintained. Open only from May to September.
Practical details
- On foot 25 min
- Opening hours: sezónní: květen–září, út–ne a o svátcích 9:00–12:00 a 12:30–17:00, v pondělí zavřeno a přes poledne pauza
On site
The display shows what the first public railway on the continent looked like: wooden beams studded with flat iron spikes instead of today's rails. Those spikes were a lot of metal and many ended up with village blacksmiths — which is why the company offered rewards for catching thieves.