kuk court salon train

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The k. (U.) K. Hofsalonzug was a parlor train of Emperor Franz Joseph I.

history

Reception for Emperor Franz Joseph at the imperial court parade
Replica of the kuk court salon train on its journey through the Wachau
interior

“The destinations are only so desirable because the journey lies in between,” Empress Elisabeth (1837–1898) once wrote in her diary during a train journey. The first court saloon car was manufactured shortly after the opening of the railway in the Habsburg monarchy. In 1837 the first four-axle wagon was put into operation. Austria's only court train was the imperial-royal court salon train of the House of Habsburg . In the Hungarian half of the empire, a second court train was kept ready when the monarch was on his way as King of Hungary. Ganz made the last Hungarian court train .

As early as 1873, two saloon cars were made for Empress Elisabeth von Ringhoffer. The cars remained in use for more than 20 years. Empress Elisabeth's heated sleeping car with the code number HZ0011 was equipped with a bed, a ladies' room (boudoir) with a dressing table and a toilet. The initial equipment housed a small compartment for the chambermaid . The second car was an exclusive saloon car for Empress Elisabeth, which had the code number HZ0010.

The first court trains still consisted of wagons with different designs and equipment. The first holistic imperial and royal court train was built by the Prague wagon factory F. Ringhoffer Smichow in 1891. The total costs were the equivalent of 40 million euros. Even at that time, the Hofsalonzug could travel on all standard-gauge European railway networks. In June 1891, the confirmation of the contractual execution and the acceptance of the train delivered by Ringhoffer was recorded by a committee consisting of the general management and all Austrian railway administrations. Empress Elisabeth's two carriages were added to the court train. In 1895 only Empress Elisabeth's sleeping car was adapted to the new court train. After the death of Empress Elisabeth in 1898, the wagons were separated from the court train for reasons of piety. The historic train had a total of eight wagons with three or four axles. All cars were equipped with spindle, compressed air and vacuum brakes. The wagon cross-sections were designed so that the Kaiserzug could run on all normal European clearance profiles . Some of the four-axle wagons were used as buffet wagons with appropriate kitchen equipment and dining and lounges.

The train was kept in Makart style in historical splendor and imperial opulence. This was proven above all by the curtains made of velvet and plush, the wall coverings made of fine silk and the door and window frames set with gold and carved. To increase comfort, completely closed soufflet crossings were created, which made it possible to cross the carriages while driving.

With the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy after the end of the First World War, the history of the imperial-royal court salon trains ended. The imperial train was used for the last time when Charles I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, left Austria after his abdication in 1919 and traveled with his family from the Kopfstetten -Eckartsau train station into exile in Switzerland . In the course of the decades the imperial train fell into oblivion. For a long time, the imperial luxury trains were thought to be lost and destroyed. Only the imperial dining car from the court train from 1891, which is exhibited in the National Technical Museum in Prague , and the first saloon car of Empress Elisabeth, which can be seen in the Vienna Technical Museum, survived the turmoil of the war.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Scécsey István and György Villámyi: Ganz. Vasúti jármüvek 1868–1918 / Railway Vehicles 1868–1918 . Minden jog fenntartva, Budapest 2015. ISBN 978-963-88145-6-2 , pp. 100-104.
  2. ↑ D. Winkler: The imperial court trains and their history. Album Verlag für Photographie, Vienna 1997.
  3. ↑ A. Bäumer: Travel like in the times of the emperor. Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe, Vienna 2006, p. 12, p. 23.
  4. ↑ A. Bäumer: Travel like in the times of the emperor. Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe, Vienna 2006, p. 12.
  5. ^ H. Strach: History of the railways of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Austrian Railway Officials Association, Vienna 1898, p. 493.
  6. ↑ A. Bäumer: Travel like in the times of the emperor. Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe, Vienna 2006, p. 8.
  7. ↑ A. Bäumer: Travel like in the times of the emperor. Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe, Vienna 2006, p. 28.

literature

  • Angelica Bäumer: Travel like in imperial times. A dream comes true. Majestic Imperator. Past and present shake hands . Majestic Imperator, Vienna 2006.
  • Ingrid Haslinger, Franz Hochwarter, Gottfried Rieck: Imperial trains. The history of the Austrian court salon trains / imperial trains . Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-8364-8917-1 .
  • Dieter Winkler: The k. (U.) K. Court trains and their history . Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-85164-055-1 .

Web links