Holiday highlight: What is the Spiekerooger horse-drawn tram? | Travel

On the car-free island of Spiekeroog were able to move visitors so far, with 1 HP, and Fort. The horse track is a rarity and is reminiscent of the seaside touri

Holiday highlight: What is the Spiekerooger horse-drawn tram? | Travel

On the car-free island of Spiekeroog were able to move visitors so far, with 1 HP, and Fort. The horse track is a rarity and is reminiscent of the seaside tourism more than 100 years ago. Soon you could be a thing of the past.

Spiekerooog (Reuters) - This summer, silenced the rattle, that's for sure. The future of the Spiekerooger horse tram, however, is uncertain. To your 135. Birthday is this year the topic is flood safety. The Problem is the old gate in the dike, through which the web is drawn.

To the financial point of view the matter is clear. The mayor of the island municipality, Matthias Piszczan (CDU), calculated: Minimum of two million euros, which would cost the tourism society, the North sea resort of Spiekeroog, a new Gathering compared to a medium six-figure amount for the finishing closing the gap.

"But through the Rally, the route of the former island railway from 1885 runs," explains Piszczan. It was pulled by horses. In July 1885, the connection from the village to the former Lord was dedicated to the beach and later to the pier extended.

From the means of transport for the tourist attraction.

"in the past, the people stood here and waited on the guests, amused, as impractical were attracted to," says Dieter Mader for a walk through the picturesque village centre. The 74-Year-old is Spiekeroog, Chairman of the Museum Association. "If you have enough unbelievers, you are home - but always with a shake of the head go Voluntarily into the water? So what Crazy people from the mainland come."

middle of the 19th century. Century, the first tourists visited the island, such as Mader explains. Pioneer was Institute of Norderney with its Seaside resort. "As you think here: wow, that is a great idea - people in the water race, and earn money." Today, more than 6000 people on the day frolicking in the high season, on Spiekeroog, with almost 800 residents. "We are always dependent on, that the guests feel comfortable and come back. What else we have," says Mader.

From the means of transport has converted the railway to a pure tourist attraction - around 15,000 people travel each year, with the Museum's horse tram. It is a rarity. In the Saxon Chub of a horse-tram, for example. On Spiekeroog, the Team with 16 seats back jerky in the summer, several times a day on the round-a-kilometre distance to and fro. Two horses pull it in the exchange.

care of an old Tradition

"The Tradition. When I think of Spiekeroog, belongs to the horse-racing track just to do this," says holidaymaker Natalie forest forest. You like to remember the trip last year, your children can pet the horse. This time it will not go, because the outdated dike chart is secured bags in the autumn and Winter with sand. Because the Coronavirus came and the tourists first wegblieben, made the bags even after the storm flood season.

But how to do it more? The mayor thinks of fundraising. Or to relocate the station in front of the dike, which would shorten the apprentice route. "It would be a huge expense, but you could also use the old fork again and up to the tent to go," says Piszczan.

The railway has witnessed in its long history, been some change: The separation of men's and ladies bathing beach was revived repealed in 1949, from horses to diesel trains changed, and in 1981, the operation is terminated - the-old Tradition, however, directly through the Museum's horse tram again.

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information on the horse-drawn tram

website island Museum

Date Of Update: 26 May 2020, 11:35
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