Opening of the Wuppertal Schwebebahn

On July 29, 1900, the Wuppertal Schwebebahn, the world's first electric suspended monorail, opened to the public in the industrial city of Wuppertal, Germany. Designed by engineer Eugen Langen, the 8.5-mile line hung cars from an overhead track above the Wupper River, solving steep valley terrain challenges that conventional railways could not address. Kaiser Wilhelm II attended the inaugural run, highlighting its technological prestige. The system used 600-volt DC power and carried millions of passengers annually, proving the viability of overhead transit for dense urban areas. Still operating today with original infrastructure largely intact, it remains an icon of early 20th-century German engineering innovation and a popular tourist attraction.