Busserltunnel, Protected railway tunnel in Traiskirchen, Austria
The Busserltunnel is a railway tunnel in Austria stretching 165 meters through a hill between two towns, built with stone blocks and designed to carry two railway tracks. The structure connects the communities on both sides in a straight line.
Built in 1841 as part of the Vienna-Gloggnitz railway line, this is Austria's oldest surviving railway tunnel. Its construction was planned to avoid damaging the wine-growing areas nearby.
The name comes from an old tradition where passengers would steal quick kisses during the brief darkness inside, as 'Busserl' means kiss in Austrian dialect. This local story remains part of how people in the region think about the tunnel.
Visitors can see the tunnel from the train platforms or nearby paths that offer views of the tunnel openings. The best time to observe it is when trains pass through and the light changes inside become visible.
A Latin inscription 'Recta sequi' appears on the tunnel portal, which surveyors and engineers used in the 1800s as a reference point when laying out railway routes. This small detail reveals how builders of that era kept their work aligned.
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