nostalgia tram of Gmunden

Nostalgic trips with the historic railcars of Stern & Hafferl.

The tram in Gmunden now operates as the Traunseetram and connects Gmunden with Vorchdorf.
Stern & Hafferl offers nostalgic rides on the historic railcars of what was once the world’s smallest tram system.

When the spa town of Gmunden got its streetcar in 1894, it was a major step forward, thanks to engineers Josef Stern and Franz Hafferl as well as the very forward-thinking Mayor Kaltenbruner, since the introduction of electricity for lighting purposes in Gmunden only became economically viable thanks to the tram system as a steady customer.

With four motor cars—some of which were also equipped for luggage transport—service began on August 13, 1894, on the route from Rudolfsbahnhof (today’s Hauptbahnhof) to Rathausplatz. Overcoming the 60-meter elevation difference made the route planning far from easy, and even today, the Gmunden Tramway is marveled at worldwide for its gradient of exactly 10%—the Semmering Railway has “only” 2½%.

A treat straight out of the imperial era awaits you! Ride along the route of what was once the smallest—yet remains one of the steepest—tramways in the world through the beautiful town of Gmunden on Lake Traunsee.

Aboard the open-air summer car GM 100 (built in 1898) or the Art Nouveau motor car GM 5 (built in 1911), you’ll travel from the Gmundner Keramik stop through Gmunden’s villa district to the beautiful Gmunden Esplanade, through the city center, and across the Traun Bridge to the “oldest train station” on the European continent—Engelhof. There, you can visit the exhibition “From the Horse-Drawn Railway to the Traunsee Tram.” From Engelhof, the trip then heads back toward Gmundner Keramik.