75 years of the park railway: Big children's festival in the Great Garden of Dresden!

75 years of the park railway: Big children's festival in the Great Garden of Dresden!

On June 1, 2023, it’s “Happy Birthday” for the Dresden Park Railway! The popular attraction in the Great Garden is celebrating its 75th birthday with a big children's party at Bahnhof Zoo. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., visitors big and small can look forward to a colorful program that leaves nothing to be desired. The activities include puppet theater, a bouncy castle, a giant trampoline and craft activities that will make children's eyes shine. If you're hungry, you can fortify yourself at the culinary stands with ice cream, Hungarian specialties, crepes and many other delicacies.

The park railway, which began operations on June 1, 1950, has developed into a real highlight in Dresden over the last 75 years. The festival is organized by the State Palaces, Castles and Gardens of Saxony gGmbH (SBG) and the “Dresdner Parkeisenbahn e.V.” support association. The large birthday cake is cut together with the guests and creates a happy atmosphere among the celebrants.

Diverse offers for children

The festival offers a wealth of program items: author Monika Preußer will read from her book “Lisa Büxt aus” at 11 a.m. in the Wagenhalle. There will also be an exciting competition program for the children of the park railway at 2:30 p.m. The day ends at 4 p.m. with the puppet theater piece “The Dreamy Travels of Theo Gleistreu and his Locomotive”.

A special highlight are the newly designed Park Railway stations. Five stations await visitors with new topics. The Straßburger Platz station is a welcome station, while the Zoo station presents the technical history of the locomotives. The Carolasee train station provides insights behind the scenes, while the motto “hobby for life” is lived in Karcherallee. At the palace pond, guests learn the eventful history of the park railway on the “Wheel of Time”.

Additional trips and anniversary offers

In its anniversary year, the park railway also brings with it some innovations. The trains run from Wednesday to Sunday until the end of October and also on Tuesdays during the summer holidays, i.e. in July and August. New on offer is a hop-on hop-off ticket for just 3 euros, available Tuesday to Thursday. Even when the weather is good, a steam locomotive is used on weekends to give guests a nostalgic driving experience.

The young railway workers, who consist of 170 children and young people, experience first-hand how railway operations work. They take on different roles, such as train attendants or ticket sellers, and learn to take on responsibility. Equipped with new uniforms, they shine when they welcome the little passengers.

The Dresden Park Railway has not only established itself as one of the most beautiful park railways in Germany, but is also a place full of history and joy for all generations. This birthday is sure to be an unforgettable event for everyone who attends the celebration.

As MDR reports, the park railway will also offer some new highlights and exciting attractions this year, which will further underline the charm of the small trains in the Great Garden. The historic park railway is and remains a popular excursion destination for families and railway fans.

For further information on the park railway, Wikipedia can be consulted, which provides an overview of the numerous park railways in Germany.