Linz Grottenbahn on the Pöstlingberg

Grottenbahn at Pöstlingberg started in 1897
Dragons, dwarfs, mythical creatures: In the Grottenbahn, visitors young and old have been immersing themselves in a world of fantasy for generations. High above Linz, on the Pöstlingberg, it fascinates thousands of guests year after year. The fairytale world has been inspiring people since 1906, and its history is correspondingly long and colourful.
In 1897 the then Tramway and Electricity Company Linz-Urfahr (TEG) acquired the "Fort Pöstlingberg" built in the 1830s, which was part of the Maximilian fortifications. The mountain station of the Pöstlingbergbahn was then set up in one of the fortification towers and in 1906, at the urging of the then TEG operations director, Franz Scheinig, the Grottenbahn was opened in another tower.
The tower track was built in the outermost ring, the so-called Schartenstock, of Fortification Tower II. Walls and ceilings were designed like a cave and equipped with atmospheric lamps to create the right ambience.
The "Electric Tower Railway on the Pöstlingberg" celebrated its opening on August 6, 1906 and from then on a motor car with a dragon's head and a trailer made its rounds on the circular course - the ancestor of our Lenzibalde. At that time, a ride lasted four laps, with the grotto being illuminated in different colors during the first three laps, while complete darkness prevailed during the final lap and a banner with the note "Kissing prohibited" was lit up. In 1911, another highlight was added to the basement of the tower: from now on, live grotto olms welcomed visitors from all over the world. But that was not the only exhibition that could be admired in the Grottenbahn premises over the years: from 1917 to 1919 the War Welfare Office set up a war museum. After that, the basement remained unused for years until 1936, when the landscape painter Ludwig Haase painted a replica of the medieval main square in Linz on canvas backdrops, which from then on could be viewed together with fairytale scenes and stuffed animals by the taxidermist Bernhard Stolz.
Text / source: Linz AG
linzag.at/portal/de/privatkunden/freizeit/grottenbahnpoestlingberg/grottenbahn_2/grottenbahngeschichte

The grotto railway on the Pöstlingberg
Up close and personal with the dwarves. A young girl points to a pawn.
Do you still believe in dragons, witches and dwarves? No – and your children? Let them convince you and accompany them on a trip to the Grottenbahn. There you will see:
They still exist, the fire-breathing dragons, the gingerbread witches and the ever-busy dwarves.
And they're not as shy as you might think. On the contrary – they look forward to your visit and are happy to let you watch their fairy-tale goings-on. And the best part? Not only children have fun in the cave train - adults also get their money's worth! We invite you to another world - to a place where you can't help but be amazed. The imagination blossoms up on the Pöstlingberg - just try it out and enjoy a ride on the dragon train through the land of the dwarfs.
Text / source: Linz AG
linzag.at/portal/de/privatkunden/freizeit/grottenbahnpoestlingberg/grottenbahn_2

The Linzer Grottenbahn is a tourist fairytale world on the Pöstlingberg in one of the fortification towers of the Maximilianic fortification ring of the city.An electric train in dragon form named Lenzibald travels on a circular path through the outer ring of the historic defense tower. Two round trips illuminate the niches on the left and once on the right, in which adventures from the dwarf kingdom are depicted. A final round is done with festive lighting.In the basement vault are niches with life-sized scenes from well-known fairy tales and a detailed replica of the main square in Linz on a scale of 1: 7 with the business premises from the turn of the century from the 19th to the 20th century.
Source: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linzer_Grottenbahn