- Re-Routed
- Posts
- Europe's steel beauties (part 1)
Europe's steel beauties (part 1)
It's not all about the Eiffel Tower.
Mike D. Lang
October 17, 2024
Wuppertal Schewbebahn
The spectacularly illuminated Eiffel Tower in Paris dominated our TV and mobile screens this summer during the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
The Tower might be the most famous and possibly most photographed steel construction in the world. But it’s not the only breathtaking steel beauty in Europe.
How about the ‘flying trains’ track in Germany or a steel tower built on top of an ornate ballroom in England?
Welcome to the world of steel wonders.
First though, the usual quick look at some travel headlines.
RE-ROUTED READS
🏜️ The Sahara Desert flooded for the first time in decades.
🎒 What do Brisbane, Paros and Franschhoek have in common?
🛫 WFH gave a London airport an identity crisis
👶 Inside the rise of child-free travel
✈️ The world’s best airlines ranked and rated
EUROPE’S STEEL BEAUTIES
Wuppertal Schewbebahn, Germany
New York’s Museum of Modern Art has in its archives a short clip from 1902 that looks like some early 20th century drone footage from a German city called Wuppertal.
In fact, the impressive clip was filmed from a “flying train” - a mind-blowing feat of engineering still in operation even today.
The Wuppertal Schwebebahn is a 13.3 km (8.3 mi) long elevated railway that first became operational in 1901. The cars (modernized since the original launch, I hasten to add), are suspended from a single rail built underneath a supporting steel frame.
It’s not the only suspended monorail system in the world - you can find similar trains in Japan, the US, China and even Russia - but it’s certainly the oldest.
The Blackpool Tower, England
If you’re UK-based, you might be rolling your eyes now or jumping with joy at the mention of this 518-foot (158m) steel structure that has been captivating visitors since late Victorian times, 1894 to be precise.
Blackpool, Craig Cooper
From a distance, it looks like the Eiffel Tower itself has accidentally been buried in Blackpool, with just the top bit sticking out.
The Blackpool Tower was in fact modelled on the French icon.
This northern English icon sits atop a whole entertainment complex (and a time capsule buried underneath the building).
The Victorian complex includes the famous, incredibly opulent Ballroom (featured every year in a special episode of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing).
And while the ballroom is famous for its sprung floor and dancing competitions, the Tower itself provides amazing views and features a glass floor that can hold the weight of two elephants.
I’ll let you test that one while I’m having some fish’n’chips down below, thank you very much.
HOW TO GET THERE:
The nearest airport to Wuppertal is Dusseldorf (DUS). You can catch a (non-flying) train from the main station in Dusseldorf to Wuppertal in just under 40 minutes.
Blackpool is close to Manchester and Liverpool. A train journey from Manchester takes roughly 90 minutes, a car trip might be a bit quicker.
The journey from Liverpool by car will take also around 90 minutes, traffic permitting.
CURIOUS? READ ON:
🚟 Schwebebahn - the official website
🗼Eight facts about the Blackpool Tower you didn’t know
🪩 Strictly: why is the Blackpool Ballroom such a big deal?
Previously Re-Routed visited Choquequirao, Sifnos, Bologna and Valencia among other destinations.
Know someone who might enjoy this? Forward the newsletter to them.
Feedback? Simply reply to this email.
See you next week.
Mike