Ochsenkopf Cable Cars Foundation Stone Laid

The renewal of the Ochsenkopf cable cars has been on everyone's lips for a long time, even beyond the district borders. Now those responsible for this lighthouse project are taking another important step: on July 3rd, 2023, the foundation stone was laid at the joint mountain station of the future north and south gondola lifts. On the north side, the new gondolas are scheduled to go into operation as early as December 2023.

“This is a historic moment. With the laying of the foundation stone, we are not only gaining momentum in this groundbreaking project, we are now entering the hot phase of the construction work," says a visibly proud District Administrator, Florian Wiedemann, who, among other things, welcomed Minister of State Thorsten Faithr to the Ochsenkopf for this special event could. The Bavarian Minister for the Environment emphasized: “It is a huge achievement that we are allowed to stand here today on this occasion. It is the achievement of an entire region that fought passionately for this project!”

The cornerstone of the first cable car generation was laid on September 9th, 1968 by the district administrator at the time, Dr. Josef Kohut in the foundation wall of the mountain station. This time capsule will be uncovered again next year when the old mountain station is demolished. In general, the schedule for the renewal of the cable cars is very ambitious, but those responsible are currently on target.

Overview of the schedule:

• Demolition of cable car and building: from March 27, 2023
• Foundation work route: since mid-April
• Start of structural work: since mid-May
• Support assembly: from the end of July
• Cable pull: from the beginning of October
• Completion of building: October/November
• Trial operation: from the end of October
• Handover of the north cable car: December 22, 2023 (opening on the south side in December 2024)

If the work on the Ochsenkopf continues to go so smoothly, visitors will be able to enjoy the new cable car on the north side this year. For District Administrator Florian Wiedemann, the advantages are obvious: "With the new cable car, we can guarantee better and safer transport for children. In addition, we are creating a level of accessibility that we have not had before.” In addition, the ten-seater gondolas allow for a completely different type of delivery traffic towards the summit. Wiedemann concludes, "These tracks offer a completely new quality and will massively increase the attractiveness of the Ochsenkopf."

Of course, the district administrator also pointed out in his speech that the entire project is strictly monitored in accordance with water and nature conservation law. "Because we stayed on the existing cable car route, we can reduce the necessary interventions in nature to a minimum anyway," he emphasizes.

Funding by the Free State

According to the current status, the costs for the north cable car amount to 25.63 million euros, with 30 percent being funded by the Free State of Bavaria (7.69 million euros). On the south side, the costs are expected to amount to 15.58 million euros - here, too, the subsidy rate is 30 percent (4.67 million euros). Due to increased procurement and material costs, those responsible were able to obtain additional funding, which is already taken into account in the sums listed. The total amount of follow-up funding is around 1.77 million euros.