The oldest original cable car in the Czech Republic is ending after 63 years

Prague - The chairlift leading from Pec pod Sněžkou over Růžová hora to Sněžka, which is the oldest preserved original lift in the Czech Republic, will cease operation on September 2 after 63 years. A new, modern cable car should replace it by the end of March 2014 at the latest. Until then, tourists will have to test their physical condition and hike to the highest Czech mountain on foot.
      The first lower section, dubbed "the grandmother among Czech lifts," which ends at Růžová hora, was put into operation in January 1949, and the upper section started operating in November 1949, with regular service beginning on July 1, 1950. The lift was manufactured under license from the Swiss company Von Roll by the Chrudim-based Transporta, and its workers performed remarkable feats during construction - for instance, they lifted the first cables barehanded. "On strong cables, the seated cabins will comfortably transport you in a few minutes to the goal of your hike, to the summit of Sněžka," the Czechoslovak Film Weekly lured visitors to the dominant peak of the Krkonoš Mountains in 1949.
      There are plenty of tourists eager to conquer the summit of the highest Czech mountain in both winter and summer; approximately 200,000 utilize the services of the lift annually, with about half of them reaching the summit of Sněžka. The drive for both soon-to-be-decommissioned chairlifts was placed by the designers at the transfer station on Růžová hora. The upper section is longer, measuring 1967 meters, while the lower part measures 1560 meters. The aging lift transported 250 people per hour, and the chairs traveled at a speed of nine kilometers per hour. The ride from the lower station in Pec pod Sněžkou to the summit of Sněžka took 25 minutes, covering an elevation gain of 704 meters.
      According to the original project, the lift was supposed to serve for only 17 years. Although its operation was not entirely free from problems, especially in winter when the cable occasionally slipped from the supports, the first major reconstruction did not take place until 1980 after long preparations. Already in the 1980s, the idea of building a new lift was born. However, nature conservationists opposed it, disagreeing with the construction, and some even wanted to dismantle the existing lift to limit tourist access to Sněžka.
      The new lift obtained a building permit only in 2008, and a year later, the reconstruction received approval from the European Commission in Brussels. The fate of the old lift began to materialize gradually; initially, the upper section was shut down this past May, and now the operation of the lower section to Růžová hora will also end.
Construction of the new lift started last September, and the technology this time comes from the Italian company Leitner. The total cost of the lift is expected to be around 300 million crowns, with 70 percent covered by EU fund grants. The fare on the lift is not expected to change; thus, adults will pay 190 crowns for a ride to the summit, and children up to ten years old will pay 100 crowns. The route will be almost identical to the previous one, only slightly longer at the lower station in Pec.
      However, the ride to the summit is expected to shorten by a third due to the higher speed of the new lift, taking approximately 16 minutes. The hourly capacity of the lift will remain at 250 people. The new cable car will have more comfortable four-person cabins instead of the current open chairs for two passengers. The lift will also be better able to withstand wind, which is renowned for its strength at Sněžka.