Wuppertal Suspension Railway

The Schwebebahn opened in 1901 and still runs, carrying about eighty thousand passengers a day on thirteen and a half kilometres of route, of which roughly ten kilometres hang over the Wupper river; the valley was too narrow and built up for a conventional line, so the track was hung above the water on a steel framework. Cars are suspended below the rail and swing on curves. In 1950 a circus elephant named Tuffi was put aboard as a publicity stunt, panicked, went through the side and fell into the river, surviving with minor injuries; the incident is still local shorthand for a bad idea.

What you actually see

• The hanging cars - carriages suspended below the rail, swinging on curves.
• The river route - ten kilometres of track above the Wupper itself.
• The 1901 stations - original steel and glass structures on the line.
• The Tuffi story - the 1950 elephant incident, marked in the city.

When to go

Year-round; it is a working commuter line, so peak hours are crowded. The full route takes about half an hour end to end and costs a normal transit fare.

Honest expectations

It is public transport, not an attraction, and runs to a timetable with maintenance closures. The valley it crosses is industrial. Seats fill at rush hour.

Nearby

The Neanderthal museum lies west; Solingen is south.