The Semmering Railroad is a remarkable alpine railway line that has been operating in Austria for a hundred and fifty years.

Construction of a railroad across mountain terrain posed a major problem but the Semmering Mountain Railway that embarked from Payerbach overcame all obstacles.

One of the most impressive architectural achievements of the railroad is the two hundred and twenty seven metre long and twenty four metre high Schwarza Viaduct.

The railway line to the Semmering Pass contains sixteen viaducts, more than a hundred bridges and fifteen tunnels. A huge quantity of manpower was used to create it with twenty thousand workers engaged to complete the daunting task. However, the line was inaugurated after only six years of construction.

Steam trains were eventually replaced by electric trains but the railway itself has hardly changed at all and continues to form part of a fascinating and irresistible combination of both technology and Nature.