28. August 2025 at 10:44

The start of the Bratislava-Vienna train

The Third Reich put an end to the train from Petržalka.

author
Branislav Chovan

Bratislava-Vienna train in 1915 with Savoy hotel in background.
Bratislava-Vienna train in 1915 with Savoy hotel in background. (source: Branislav Chovan)
Font size: |

This charming and skillfully coloured postcard dates back to 1915, a year after the railway connection between Bratislava and Vienna had been officially opened.

SkryťTurn off ads
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

Two cars pulled by an electric locomotive entered the city through the bridge over the Danube and continued along Vajanského nábrežie, Mostová, Jesenského and Štúrova Streets and then returned to the bridge.

The train shuttled between the towns six times a day, with each trip taking two hours and forty-five minutes. The direct connection to Vienna remained open until 1934.

There was also a tram that crossed Petržalka and sometimes continued to the Austrian border, where passengers changed to the train headed to Vienna. But Hitler’s Germany stopped these trips after Petržalka was annexed to the Third Reich in 1938.

This picture shows the Bratislava-Vienna train crossing what is today Hviezdoslavovo Square. The Savoy Hotel, which later became the Carlton, can be seen in the background.

SkryťClose ad