11.11.1838 The first steam locomotive was launched

In November 1838, thousands of Brno spectators could welcome the steam locomotive Moravia. The ride lasted less than a quarter of an hour.

Transport was of crucial importance for the developing industry of the monarchy. Factories that wanted to succeed in the competitive battle introduced steam engines into production from the first decade of the 19th century. Steam as a means of propulsion also proved to be the best means of transport, where mail coaches or horse-drawn carriages were still common.

The plan for the construction of the first railway line in the Habsburg monarchy, which was to connect Vienna with Halych, was approved in 1836. "The author of the idea was Franz Xaver Riepl (1790-1857), a professor at the Vienna Polytechnic Institute. However, he also originally intended to connect Lower Austria, Moravia and Halych by a horse-drawn railway. His bold plan was financially supported by the banking house of Salomon M. Rothschild," write the authors of Fabrika: The Story of the Textile Barons of Moravian Manchester.

Thanks to Rothschild's support, Riepl was able to study the Liverpool to Manchester railway and consult with Robert Stephenson, son of the author of the first steam locomotive. On his return, he decided to build a steam railway and walked the entire intended route.

However, he met with incomprehension from the municipal authorities, and even Emperor Francis II (1769-1835) was not in favour of the modern mode of transport. Nevertheless, during the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I (1793-1875), the project was finally pushed through.

After initial difficulties with the shortage of rails, which were expensive to import from Belgium and England, they were finally produced at the Rudolf Rudolf's smelter in Vítkovice, which had been purchased for this purpose by the Rothschilds. In November 1838, thousands of Brno spectators were able to welcome the Moravia steam locomotive, and in July the following year the first train arrived in Brno from Vienna.

"The first ever steam locomotive ride on our territory, which took place on 11. On November 1838, on the short Rajhrad-Brno section and lasting less than a quarter of an hour, the Moravia locomotive was driven by Ghega himself. Karl von Ghega was an Austrian architect, engineer, railway builder and builder of mountain sections of railways) Perner was present. A memorial plaque commemorates the event today at the Rajhrad railway station," writes Jan Kvirenc in his book Czech History - 100 Memorable Places.

Since December, public rides have followed...

Sources:
Kateřina Tučková, Andrea Březinová and Tomáš Zapletal.
ttps://kambrno.cz/