RAILWAYS CONNECT! / DIE EISENBAHN VERBINDET!”

The project “Railways Connect! / Die Eisenbahn verbindet!” aims to support a long-standing initiative of Czech and Saxon cities, municipalities, and other regional institutions for the completion of the missing 8 km section Holzhau – Moldava for the cross-border reconnection of the railway lines Freiberg – Most / Teplice and addresses several interrelated aspects:

• As part of the project, basic documentation of railway structures and related technical cultural monuments on both sides of the border will be created, which will also include industrial buildings that shape the character of the region. At the same time, an expertise of the legal and property relations of the land on the dismantled section of the railway line Holzhau – Moldava will be conducted.

• The result of the analysis will be a unified proposal for the enhancement of unused structures on both sides of the border and their integration into regional tourism.

• The project will ensure the continuation of cooperation between Czech and Saxon municipalities, the Ústí Region, Saxon district offices, and other institutions, which has been consistently aimed at reconnecting both lines since 2018.

• Through promotion and educational activities, the project aims to support the historical concept of the cross-border railway as a single entity for the future.

• The involvement of the Saxon and Czech Montanregion in the project is related to the fact that the Moldavian/Freiberg railway provided the supply of North Bohemian coal to one of the most important montane-historical centers in the Ore Mountains – the silver city of Freiberg from 1885 until the end of World War II.