Aartalbahn

The Aartalbahn is a disused but heritage-protected branch railway in Hesse, running from Wiesbaden through the Taunus hills and the Aar valley to Diez on the Lahn river. Originally opened in the late 19th century as the Langenschwalbacher Bahn, it connected spa towns like Bad Schwalbach to the Rhine-Main region and is a textbook example of a Wilhelmine-era resort railway. Though commercial service has long ceased, the tracks, bridges, and station buildings remain largely intact, making it an open-air industrial monument threading through forest and valley. The Aartalbahn Infrastruktur gGmbH is currently preparing to revive museum train operations as far as Hahn-Wehen station. In the meantime, the former trackbed serves as a quiet hiking and cycling path with the haunting atmosphere of a frozen-in-time railway.