FOR THE POPULAR spa town of Trenčianske Teplice, a connection to the main railway track crossing the Považie region became a must as early as during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. By 1909, the spa’s industrious management, Hungarian banks and local nobility had set up a connection between Teplice and Trenčianska Teplá, which was located six kilometres away.
The ceremony to mark the opening of the new 760-mm gauge electric railway took place in Teplice on July 27 that year.
The railway was the first of its kind in Central Europe, so despite offering free travel, mothers were “wringing their hands, praying that their children not be hurt by the devilish machine”.
A journey from Teplá to Teplice took 25 minutes. Today, after a few small adjustments to the railway, it takes only 19 minutes.
This postcard from 1950s shows the little train surrounded by smartly dressed people. Apparently it was Sunday, and they were heading to church. The women in the foreground were wearing traditional folk costumes, while those behind them were in rather modern clothes.
