Semmering panorama ("Panorama des Semmerings)" Detail 5

The Documents on the Semmering Railway.

Drawn from nature by Imre Benkert; descriptions by Dr. F.C. Weidmann. 7th edition, Vienna, published by Carl Gerold's Sohn. This fold-out panorama of the Semmering was a popular travel accessory or souvenir for excursions to the Semmering in the second half of the 19th century. The first edition "Semmering Panorama" was published in 1855. In total, "Semmering Panorama" ("Panorama des Semmerings") was published nine times between 1855 and 1873. Compared to the first edition, the text was abridged in the seventh edition.

The Documents on the Semmering Railway from the Imperial & Royal Historical Museum of Austrian Railways from 1844-1910 contain engineers’ notebooks, sketches, drawings, watercolors, lithographs, and steel engravings. They bear witness to the way in which this major construction site evolved in the mountain wilderness and how the railway line’s stunning viaducts and tunnels were built using the engineering resources available at the time. The archival material also bears an important testimony to the importance attached to technical innovations in the 19th century as well as the growing awareness that technical projects require meticulous documentation.