Skip to content
Silesian Rail Structures Inventory · rev. 2026-06-02

Inventory / Chronology

Dated eventsChronology

The dated events behind the records, in order. Read as a sequence it makes the logic of the network visible in a way the individual records do not: the 1840s trunk routes, the 1900s branch built for a dam, and the long contraction after 1989.

  1. 1846The 785 mm gauge — 30 Prussian Zoll — is adopted for the Upper Silesian industrial network.
  2. 1844–46Bóbr viaduct at Bolesławiec built to Gansel's design: 490 m, 35 spans.
  3. 1851–52Construction begins on the Upper Silesian narrow gauge network.
  4. 1854First sections of the narrow gauge network open.
  5. 1855–57Wrocław Główny built to Wilhelm Grapow's design.
  6. 1867Wałbrzych Fabryczny opens on 15 August with the Silesian Mountain Railway mountain section.
  7. 1899–1904Wrocław Główny rebuilt: five new platforms, main hall façade remodelled.
  8. 1902Zebrzydowa – Ławszowa opens, 25 November: first section of the Jelenia Góra – Żagań line.
  9. 1905–06Pilchowice bridge built: 131.7 m span, 43 m above the water.
  10. 1906Jelenia Góra – Pilchowice opens, 1 October.
  11. 1908Locomotive depot opens at Jaworzyna Śląska.
  12. 1909Pilchowice – Wleń opens, 28 August, completing the line through three tunnels.
  13. 1945The central span of the Bolesławiec viaduct is blown by retreating forces.
  14. 1947Bolesławiec viaduct returned to service.
  15. 1950–70Peak traffic on the narrow gauge network: five to six million tonnes a year.
  16. 1993Tourist operation resumes on the surviving narrow gauge line.
  17. 1999About 40 km of the narrow gauge network remains operable.
  18. 2001Freight traffic on the narrow gauge network ends.
  19. 2004Zebrzydowa – Żagań closed.
  20. 2005Silesian Railway Museum founded at Jaworzyna Śląska.
  21. 2006Bolesławiec viaduct floodlit with 58 projectors.
  22. 2009Renovation of the Bolesławiec viaduct completed; 160 km/h permitted.
  23. 2010The narrow gauge railway joins the European Route of Industrial Heritage.
  24. 2010–12Wrocław Główny refurbished ahead of Euro 2012.
  25. 2016Passenger service Jelenia Góra – Lwówek Śląski suspended, 11 December.
  26. 2023Wrocław Główny handles 29.4 million passengers, the busiest in Poland.
On dates. Opening dates are the dates of opening to traffic, not of completion of works, and the two can differ by months. Where only a year is known, only a year is given.

An independent inventory of railway engineering structures in Silesia. Compiled from published sources and site visits. Not connected with any infrastructure manager, operator, museum or public authority.

Figures are quoted as published and are not independently surveyed. Access notes describe conditions observed on a particular day and must not be relied on for planning. Several structures listed here are disused and unsafe.

Text CC BY 4.0 · References · About · Sitemap