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Postojna Cave Railway — Postojna, Slovenia

Empty yellow-framed cave train cars beside a lit walkway under a rock ceiling in Postojna Cave, Slovenia
Artwork FilePostojna · Slovenia

Postojna Cave Railway

SeenSep 2025

Opened June 16, 1872 · Postojna Cave

Photo: Simon Legner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), the photo used in the World Art Utopia post. Full photograph shown.

Postojna Cave opened what its operator calls the first documented railway in an underground cave on June 16, 1872, with cave guides moving two four-seat carriages along 1,534 meters of 620 mm gauge track. Gasoline locomotives took over in 1923 and battery-electric ones in 1956, and visitors still ride small electric trains into the cave today. Source Source Checked

Seen Sep 2025 — A video filmed aboard the cave train on September 4, 2025 (Flickr capture date; Commons lists the October 5, 2025 upload date) shows the railway running through the cave. Source Source Checked

More photos

Black-and-white photo of seated visitors, seen from behind, riding open cars into a vaulted tunnel in Postojna Cave beside a plaque reading Srečno! 20.6.1964
1964 Loop line completedPhoto: Marjan Ciglič (1924–1998) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

💡 4 things to know

  1. Guides were the first enginesAt first, cave guides moved two carriages called Phaetons, each carrying four visitors, along the tracks by hand. Source Source Checked
  2. Three months of track layingWork on the track began in March 1872 under road master Gregor Oblak and took three months; the first line ran from the Pulpit (Prižnica) in the Great Dome to the foot of the Great Mountain. Source Checked
  3. From gasoline to batteriesA gasoline mine locomotive, the Montania 803, pulled visitors after the line was rebuilt in 1923, and the cave bought its first two battery-powered electric locomotives in 1956. Source Checked
  4. A loop for more visitorsThe single track allowed only three trains and 2,100 visitors a day, so a circular line was built in two phases, finished in 1964 and 1967, including 422 meters of tunnel cut through bedrock. Source Checked

📍 Where it is

Postojna Cave, Jamska cesta 30, Postojna, Slovenia; the map pin marks the cave entrance. Source Source Checked

Open in Maps

Opens a map at these coordinates.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 187216 Jun

    First cave railway opens

  2. 1923

    Line rebuilt for gasoline locomotive

  3. 1956

    First battery-electric locomotives bought

  4. 196420 Jun

    New loop line photographed with plaque

  5. 1967

    Second loop phase completed

  6. 2015

    Boarding platform renovated (April)

  7. 202229 Jan

    Train carriages photographed (camera date)

  8. 202319 Jul

    Train carriages photographed (camera date)

  9. 20254 Sep

    Ride filmed aboard the cave train

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

✅ The facts

Opened
June 16, 1872 Source Source Checked
Original track
1,534 meters long, 620 mm gauge Source Checked
Track laying supervised by
Road master Gregor Oblak Source Checked
First gasoline locomotive
1923, per Postojna Cave; Culture.si says the early years of the 20th century Source Source Conflicting
Electric traction
Battery-electric locomotives from 1956; twelve in all, the last two bought in 1988 Source Source Checked
Loop line
Built in two phases, completed 1964 and 1967 Source Source Checked
Location
Postojna Cave, Jamska cesta 30, Postojna, Slovenia Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: November 13, 2026 · How we verify art