Karawankenbahn

The railway line from Villach to Rosenbach runs through southern Carinthia, linking Austria with Slovenia. It follows the edge of Finkenstein Moor and passes close to Faak am See before reaching Rosenbach, where it joins the Rosentalbahn. The single-track, electrified route was opened in 1906 as part of a planned through line from Salzburg to Trieste. The line was built to break the monopoly held by the Südbahn-Gesellschaft on north–south traffic in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Construction began in 1901 under a state-funded programme and was completed within five years. Its signal posts and masts were unusual, with narrow lattice structures turned ninety degrees in curves. After the Yugoslav wars the line’s importance declined, though recent renewals have restored parts of it. Today S-Bahn Kärnten services run every hour between Villach and Rosenbach. The route passes the reed-fringed shores of Faak am See and crosses flat moorland near Finkenstein. Stations like Ledenitzen and Finkenstein have been modernised, while Rosenbach now has an island platform with an underground entrance. Trains continue to Jesenice in summer, offering views of the Karawanken peaks along the way.