Czechia to mark key railway anniversaries with historic train rides

The National Technical Museum in Prague will launch a new exhibition along with a series of historic train rides and events throughout 2025 to mark significant European and Czech railway anniversaries.

The program will celebrate 200 years since the world’s first public steam railway opened in England, as well as the start of construction on the horse-drawn railway between České Budějovice and Linz—Central Europe’s first public railway.

This year will also commemorate 180 years since the first steam train arrived in Prague. The National Technical Museum plans to bring these milestones to life with nostalgic train rides, exhibits, and public events across the country.

At the heart of the museum’s celebrations is a series of historic train rides by vintage locomotives. The main museum train will be led by the restored steam locomotive 464.102, known as Ušatá (Long Ears), which dates back to 1940. It will be accompanied by retro passenger cars from the 1970s and 1980s.

The lineup will also feature a presidential salon car from 1968, nicknamed Svoboda (Freedom), which will be presented for viewing at select stations.

The first ride departs April 5 from Ústí nad Labem to Žatec to open the tourist season in the Ústí region. On April 12, the train runs from Prague through Pilsen to Plasy for the 10th anniversary of the museum's Centre for Building Heritage.

Additional journeys include a May 17 ride to Brandýs nad Labem for a historical reenactment event and a May 18 trip to the Czech Railways Museum in Lužná u Rakovníka.

Beyond the rides, the National Technical Museum will participate in the Open House Prague festival, offering rare access to the future Railway and Electrical Engineering Museum at Prague’s Masarykovo station. In July, celebrations continue in Bujanov, where a newly restored replica of a historic horse-drawn carriage will be on display.

The year-long program culminates in October with the launch of a major exhibition, What Created the Railway, What the Railway Created. Opening at the National Technical Museum from Oct. 3, 2025, the exhibit will trace the railway’s influence on European industrial, social, and cultural development.

Authentic artifacts, interactive installations, and historic artworks will illustrate how the railways shaped modern society. Highlights include a nearly 200-year-old British steam engine, early Czech railway equipment, and a fully operational dispatch simulator.

The exhibit will also spotlight Czech rail pioneer František Josef Gerstner, who designed the first railway linking Bohemia and Austria. Also on display will be Kladno I. 103—the oldest preserved steam locomotive in the Czech Republic, built in 1855.

For more information on this spring's historic train rides and the upcoming exhibition, see the website of the National Technical Museum in Prague.