Bergbahnen als Symbole und Promotoren des Alpentourismus. Das Berner Oberland in der Belle Époque – mit einem Vergleich zum Salzkammergut

Rohr, Christian (2023). Bergbahnen als Symbole und Promotoren des Alpentourismus. Das Berner Oberland in der Belle Époque – mit einem Vergleich zum Salzkammergut. Geschichte und Region/Storia e regione, 32(1), pp. 121-146. Studien Verlag

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Mountain Railways and Cable Cars as Symbols and Promotors of Alpine Tourism. The Bernese Oberland in the Belle Époque, in comparison with the Austrian Salzkammergut
The development of Alpine tourism is inextricably linked to the construction of railway infrastructure from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. It was this technological change that first enabled the development of mass tourism in areas of the inner Alps. In a second phase, during the period from the late 1870s to the First World War, grand hotels and numerous mountains with panoramic views from their peaks were made accessible via cog railways and cable cars. For the first time, it became possible to ascend the heights without any appreciable physical exertion. The article investigates the significance of these railways and cable cars by analyzing their role in poster advertising for the Bernese Oberland during the Belle Époque, as well as the financial returns of the companies running the routes. It thereby asks why some entreprises were more successful than others. In a further analytic step, the author undertakes a brief comparison with the Austrian Salzkammergut region and specifically with the cog railway on the Schafberg. The conclusion then sketches the further development up until the current day, and considers how far these means of transport have remained a magnet for tourists.

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