The history of the Rügen small railway "Rasender Roland" goes back to the end of the 19th century. On July 21, 1895, the first train ran from Putbus to Binz. Meanwhile, the narrow-gauge railway takes tourists across the island.
by Carina Werner
Wilhelm von Humboldt called his trip through Rügen torture. Johannes Brahms railed against the poor transport infrastructure. Up until the end of the 19th century, Germany's largest island had poor transport connections. Bumpy country roads make it difficult for tourists to get around - and for the locals anyway. Since there is neither a regular ferry service nor bridges, Rügen is largely cut off from the rest of the world.
"Steam across the island with God"
From 1883 Rügen, here the port of Sassnitz, could be reached by ship from the mainland.That was to change in the middle of the 19th century:in 1863 the railway connection from Berlin to Stralsund was opened. From now on, an extension via the Strelasund to Rügen is also being discussed. In 1883 not only the ferry service between the mainland and the island was started, but also the first railway connection on Rügen, between Altefaehr in the south and Bergen in the centre.
"With God by steam across the island" is written on the locomotive of the opening train. In 1891 the line was extended to Sassnitz. "Travelling to Rügen means traveling to Sassnitz" enthuses Theodor Fontane. The route from the mainland via Bergen to Sassnitz is becoming the main traffic artery on Rügen.
Rügener Bahn for sugar beets and tourists
In 1889 a railway from Altefaehr to Putbus was put into operation, which was primarily used for agricultural purposes. However, the Prussian state has little interest in other routes on the island. In rural areas, expanding the rail network is considered unprofitable. But on Rügen, as in other sparsely populated areas of Germany, there are many people who are keenly interested in expanding the railways:to transport agricultural products faster, to bring the locals to the doctor or to work far away, and for tourism boost.
Advertising for the Rügen Kleinbahn
In 1892, the Rügen district master builder, Ohnesorge, gave a "lecture on tertiary railways for the island of Rügen" in front of a large audience. He promotes the expansion of the Rügen railway lines, above all to ensure the fast, mass transport of sugar beet, which is "virtually impossible on land routes". The district master builder advocates a narrow-gauge railway because it is far cheaper to build and operate.
Narrow-gauge railways are among the so-called tertiary or small railways and are usually half as narrow as standard-gauge railways. At the end of the 19th century, they became fashionable all over Germany - whether in the Harz Mountains, in Saxony or in the Ruhr area. The Prussian Small Railway Law, which was passed in 1892, also contributed to this. The new law provides for simplified technical requirements and financial support for the construction of tertiary railways.
Make way for the "Racing Roland"
The narrow-gauge railway runs on a 24.2-kilometer route between Putbus and Göhren.The courtship of Ohnesorge was successful:The Rügensche Kleinbahn-Aktiengesellschaft, RüKB for short, founded in 1890, decided to set up an extensive route network for narrow-gauge railways with a track width of 750 millimeters on the island. The Stettin-based company Lenz &Co. takes over construction and operational management. In 1895 construction workers, who were also hired from Russia, built the first route from Putbus to the up-and-coming seaside resort of Binz, 10.8 kilometers away.
Hard benches and an outhouse - by today's standards, the Rügen Kleinbahn doesn't offer much comfort. But that doesn't detract from the maiden voyage of the "Racing Roland", as the railway is loosely named after the famous Italian epic. On July 21, 1895, the steam-powered train jerked from Putbus to Binz-Ost through seemingly endless fields and meadows for the first time. Why the leisurely train is called "Rasender Roland" is unclear.
The rail network on Rügen is growing rapidly
Full steam through Rügen's picture book landscape:the "Racing Roland" 1995.A year later, the rail lines to Sellin and Altefaehr have already been completed. Within a few years, the Rügensche Kleinbahn-Aktiengesellschaft expanded the route network to 97.3 kilometers and thus connected the stations of Altefaehr, Stralsund, Göhren, Altenkirchen, Bergen and Kap Arkona with each other. Not only the "beet traffic", but also tourism, especially on the east coast of Rügen, is experiencing an unexpected boom. Between 1901 and 1916, "theater trains" even ran between Binz and Putbus, bringing guests from the bathing resorts to the theatre.
The decline of the narrow-gauge railways
Nostalgic steam locomotives and wagons now drive tourists across the island.From the 1920s, when more and more trucks, buses and small cars populated the paved roads, narrow-gauge railways became less important as a means of transport. In the late 1960s in particular, many of the former sections of the line were shut down - including on Rügen.
The last remaining Pomeranian narrow-gauge railway in Germany has been operated under the name Rügensche BäderBahn by Eisenbahn-Bau- und Betriebsgesellschaft Pressnitztalbahn mbH since 2008. Today only 24.1 kilometers of the former route network remain. But the "Racing Roland" is still steaming and panting:at a maximum of 30 kilometers per hour, it travels every two hours from Lauterbach via Putbus, Binz, Sellin and Baabe to Göhren. The railway line has long since ceased to be used for freight traffic, but as a pure tourist attraction - with nostalgic steam locomotives and wagons.