Bardzki Tunnel
| Bardzki Tunnel | |
|---|---|
Eastern portal of the tunnel | |
Interactive map of Bardzki Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
| Other name | Warthaer Tunnel (German) |
| Line | Wrocław Główny–Międzylesie railway |
| Location | Bardo, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland |
| Status | Active[1] |
| Crosses | Tunelowa Góra, Bardzkie Mountains |
| Start | Bardo side |
| End | Ławica side |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1874[1][2] |
| Owner | PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe |
| Operator | PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe |
| Traffic | Railway |
| Character | Double-track railway tunnel in a single bore |
| Technical | |
| Length | 364 m (1,194 ft)[1][2] |
The Bardzki Tunnel is a railway tunnel in Bardo in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of south-western Poland. It carries the Wrocław Główny–Międzylesie railway beneath Tunelowa Góra in the Bardzkie Mountains.[2] The tunnel is notable as one of the relatively few historic railway tunnels in Poland built as a single bore wide enough to accommodate two tracks.[1]
Description
The tunnel is situated between Bardo and Ławica on railway line no. 276, the historic mountain route linking Wrocław with Kłodzko and Międzylesie.[2] It passes beneath Tunelowa Góra, a hill above the gorge of the Nysa Kłodzka in the Bardzkie Mountains.[1]
The structure is 364 m (1,194 ft) long.[1][2] Unlike many other railway tunnels in Lower Silesia, it was designed from the outset as a broad single bore carrying two tracks, and double-track traffic continues to operate through it.[1]
History
The tunnel was built as part of the construction of the Silesian Mountain Railway, the strategically important line through the Sudetes linking Wrocław with the Kłodzko Valley and the Austrian border.[2]
According to Wojciech Preidl, the Bardzki Tunnel was completed in the 1870s during the main phase of railway tunnel construction in Lower Silesia.[2] Local commemorative material marking the 150th anniversary of the structure states that the tunnel was pierced in 1872 and entered regular service in 1874.[1]
Because of the growing importance of the route, the line remained one of the key railway corridors in south-western Poland. The tunnel continued in regular use through later phases of line modernisation and electrification.[2]
Heritage
Preidl lists the Bardzki Tunnel among the historic railway tunnels of Lower Silesia that form an important part of the region's technical heritage.[2] In 2024, local organisations commemorated the 150th anniversary of the opening of the tunnel.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "150 lat tunelu kolejowego w Bardzie 1874–2024" (in Polish). Znaczki Turystyczne. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Preidl, Wojciech (2005). "Dolnośląskie tunele kolejowe – zabytki techniki" (PDF). Górnictwo i Geoinżynieria (in Polish). 29 (3/1): 319–329. Retrieved 9 March 2026.