Burgberg Cable Car, Aerial lift in Bad Harzburg, Germany.

The Burgberg Cable Car is an aerial lift in Bad Harzburg that carries passengers to the Großer Burgberg hill. Two cabins seating 18 people each provide access to the hilltop ruins and surrounding views.

The cable car was built in 1929 by the Bleichert corporation as a modern way to reach the hilltop. The original station building from that era remains standing and largely unchanged to this day.

The cable car is named after the Burgberg, the hill where Emperor Henry IV had Harzburg Castle built around 1068. The upper station stands next to the castle ruins, and a small museum inside it presents the history of the Bleichert-built aerial tramway.

The ride up takes about three minutes and climbs roughly 186 meters. Operating times vary by season and weather conditions, so it helps to check before you visit.

Only two other cable cars share this design worldwide: one in Bad Reichenhall and one in Barcelona. The Bad Harzburg line was built by Adolf Bleichert & Co. of Leipzig, then the leading firm in cable car construction. Its carrying cable measures 37 mm in diameter, the hauling cable 18 mm.