Bom Jesus do Monte Funicular, Water-powered railway in Nogueiró e Tenões, Portugal
The Bom Jesus do Monte Funicular is a rail-based transport system with two parallel tracks that rises 274 meters up the mountain slope. Wooden sleepers support the rails along this steeply inclined route.
Engineer Niklaus Riggenbach oversaw the construction of this transport system, which began operating on March 25, 1882. It was the first funicular on the Iberian Peninsula.
The funicular connects visitors to the Bom Jesus sanctuary, where baroque staircases and chapels mark a traditional pilgrimage route. This journey has become part of how people experience their spiritual devotion in this mountain setting.
Each of the two cabins accommodates 38 passengers and climbs about 116 meters in elevation over roughly three minutes. Wear comfortable shoes, as there are stairs to navigate at both the top and bottom stations.
The system operates through water counterbalance, where tanks fill the upper cabin with water to pull it down while raising the empty lower cabin. This clever mechanism has worked without electric motors for over 140 years.
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