Srebrna Góra Railway Viaducts

The two brick viaducts on the slopes of Srebrna Góra are the most striking relic of the Owl Mountains Railway (Eulengebirgsbahn) – a line that had to use a rack rail on its steepest section. The Żdanów viaduct (about 24 m high) and the Srebrna Góra viaduct (28 m) now stand in the forest without tracks, and their arches impress both from below and from the air.

History: a railway that climbed on a rack

The Owl Mountains Railway ran from Dzierżoniów via Pieszyce, Bielawa, Srebrna Góra, the Srebrna Pass, Wolibórz and Słupiec to Ścinawka Średnia, a total of 62 km. It was meant for tourists but also to carry coal from the mines at Słupiec and Nowa Ruda. Work began in 1897, trains reached Srebrna Góra on 12 December 1900, and the section to Ścinawka Średnia opened on 5 August 1902. Both viaducts, 260 m long in total, were built in spring 1901. About 300 workers from various countries took part – Croats, Czechs, Poles, Ukrainians and even Italians.

A rack railway at 6 per cent

Between Srebrna Góra and the Srebrna Pass the gradient reached 6%, so a double-bar Abt rack rail was laid over 6.6 km. Special adhesion-and-rack steam locomotives weighing 56 tonnes each worked here, able to haul trains of only 125 tonnes; the average speed was 9.6 km/h. The line was never profitable. After the First World War tourist traffic collapsed, services between Wolibórz and Srebrna Góra were suspended on 12 October 1931, and in 1933–1934 the track was lifted.

What to see

• The Srebrna Góra viaduct on the south-western slope of Ostróg, near the Srebrna Pass.
• The Żdanów viaduct near Żdanów, on the slopes of Kapliczka hill – both actually stand in the Bardo Mountains.
• The steel bridge at the Srebrna Pass, spanning the cutting of the former rack railway.
• A small masonry bridge with a keystone dated 1770 between the Srebrna Pass and Nowa Wieś Kłodzka – probably an older crossing from the time the fortress was built.

Tripto tips

The viaducts are open-air structures, so no tickets are needed; the easiest way to reach them is on trails that follow the old embankments and cuttings. Allow 2–3 hours of walking for both viaducts and the pass. In 2019 the regional government took over the line between Srebrna Góra and Bielawa Zachodnia. The walk combines easily with a visit to Srebrna Góra Fortress.