Karren Ropeway Dornbirn
The Karren Ropeway Dornbirn is a cable car system in the Austrian town of Dornbirn that carries visitors to the summit of Karren mountain in just a few minutes. The installation connects the valley station to the mountain station at nearly 1000 meters elevation, providing access to hiking paths, a glass viewing platform called Karren-Kante, and the Panorama Restaurant.
In 1892, Viktor Hämmerle built a wooden observation tower on Karren to bring visitors to the mountain. After his death and a land donation from his daughter, the first cable car opened in 1956 and has been upgraded several times, most recently in 1996 with modern cabins and a new restaurant designed by architect Leopold Kaufmann.
The cable car serves as a meeting place where locals and visitors gather to enjoy nature together. It represents an accessible way for the community to connect with the surrounding landscape without requiring a long hike.
The cable car runs throughout the day with extended evening hours, operating most of the year except for brief maintenance periods in spring and fall. Access is convenient by car or bus from the main train station, with parking available nearby.
The Karren-Kante is a 12 meter glass platform added in 2016 that gives visitors the feeling of standing on the edge of the mountain. A memorable incident in 2024 saw the system temporarily closed when a mouse chewed through critical cables, a surprising maintenance challenge for the staff.
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