Fichtelgebirge Receives New Cable Car

(eap) The Fichtelgebirge vacation region in Upper Franconia, northern Bavaria, is getting a new ropeway that will be able to transport around 2,000 people per hour up the 1,024-meter-high Ochsenkopf mountain. A total of 40 ten-seater gondolas will replace the double chairlift from Bischofsgrün to the mountain in the future, so that people with walkers and wheelchairs as well as families with baby carriages will also be able to reach the mountaintop in comfort. In addition, the new gondola lift will also make a visit more attractive for active vacationers. These include skiers and ski schools, who will find the longest slopes in northern Bavaria on the Ochsenkopf, as well as hikers and cyclists, who will then be able to have their bikes transported effortlessly to the new mountain station in the future.

From December 22, 2023, the new ropeway equipped with a photovoltaic system will take passengers up the north side of the mountain - and from winter 2024, a new ropeway will then also go into operation on the south side. As things stand at present, the costs for the former amount to 25.63 million euros, while 15.58 million euros are expected to be invested in construction on the south side, with 30 percent of each being subsidized by the Free State of Bavaria. ■