120 Years on a Narrow-Gauge Railway

How has the Rittner Bahn shaped life on the Ritten? Who shaped the railway, who travelled on it, and what does the “Bahnl” (“Little Train”) mean to the people of the Ritten today?
Set in the historic railway station in Klobenstein, the experience space at Klobenstein station takes visitors on a 20-minute journey through more than 120 years of mobility and railway history. It is a journey that begins with the railway’s early days and leads right into the present.

Step into history
Here, history is not simply presented on information panels. Instead, visitors are invited to step into the world of the railway and experience its story from the inside.
At the heart of the exhibition is a ten-minute documentary bringing together historic footage, original documents and newly created images. It tells the story of the railway’s pioneering technology, its opening in 1907, the changes it brought to life on the Ritten – and, above all, the people whose lives have been connected with the railway over the generations.
Around the “mini cinema”, historic photographs and original plans bring the early days of the railway back to life. Authentic artefacts offer a glimpse behind the scenes of railway operations, from a driver’s cab and a historic speedometer to railway tools and a handcar once used by railway workers.
A model railway, interviews with people who witnessed the railway’s history first-hand, and a historic photograph of Waltherplatz in Bolzano, brought vividly to life through artificial intelligence, reveal further stories from the past.
The exhibition also follows the Ritten Railway through its changing role over the decades. Once a rack railway, it climbed the steep route from Bolzano to the Ritten. Today, the narrow-gauge railway connects Maria Himmelfahrt, Oberbozen and Klobenstein and forms part of the local public transport network. But it has become much more than a means of getting from A to B: the “Bahnl” is now an integral part of the Ritten’s identity.

“Ritten Railway – Experience Space at Klobenstein Station” brings 120 years of history to life – right where that history continues to run today.