French Railway museum, Mulhouse

After being provisionally established in a former Mulhouse railway depot between 1971 and 1976, the Mulhouse National Railway Museum was officially opened at its current and permanent site in June 1976.

The museum was a great success, with up to 200,000 visitors per year !

The museum illustrates the 4 great stages in the history of the railway :

1)The invention of the railway (1550 - 1830)
In the beginning were the mining railways, which existed in Europe as early as the 16th century. Then, in 1771, the Frenchman Cugnot invented his “Fardier” : the first steam-driven vehicle. Thus, the meeting of rail and steam gave birth to the railways as we know them today.

2)Railway fever (1830 - 1914 )
It was an enormous effort, which, in England alone, employed 50,000 construction labourers over a period of 40 years. Throughout Europe, railways crossed rivers and passed through mountains. Civil engineering structures, including bridges and viaducts with unprecedented spans, were built by Stephenson, Brunel, Eiffel etc…

3)Railway crisis ( 1920 - 1960 )
During this period, some people were predicting the imminent death of the railways, mostly as a result of the increased competition from newer forms of transport.

4)The revival of the railway ( 1960 - 2005 )
High-speed trains, used for the first time in 1964 with the Shinkansen in Japan, suddenly prove to be financially viable. For distances of around 500km, and measuring times from city-centre to city-centre, the train is now as fast as the aeroplane. The TGV, with all the technical refinements that make it exceptionally stable, experiences an immediate and considerable success, and gains a following throughout Europe. The future of the railways seems assured.