- published: 30 Jun 2015
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Žaliakalnis (literally, "the green hill") is an elderate in Lithuania's second largest city, Kaunas. Žaliakalnis is located north of the old town and the downtown area, between the Neris and Girstupis rivers. It is one of the largest residential areas in Kaunas, with a 2006 population of 38,480.
Žaliakalnis became part of Kaunas in 1919, when the city became the temporary capital of Lithuania. Kaunas expanded rapidly, and the need for a comprehensive plan became evident by 1922. The Danish engineer M. Frandsen was invited to devise this plan.
In Frandsen's plan, Žaliakalnis was to be an important part of Kaunas, where all the city's administrative functions would be located. This part of the concept was not fulfilled, although the neighbourhood quickly became very popular and many modern residences were built. In 1924-1925 alone, more than 300 plots were created and sold. In accordance with the plan, its streets were planted with different species of trees, and space was left for gardens. By 1940, the area was largely built up, and only a few plots remained vacant.
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.
The basic idea of funicular operation is that two cars are always attached to each other by a cable, which runs through a pulley at the top of the slope. Counterbalancing of the two cars, with one going up and one going down, minimizes the energy needed to lift the car going up. Winching is normally done by an electric drive which turns the pulley. Sheave wheels guide the cable to and from the drive mechanism and the slope cars.
A few funiculars have been built using water tanks under the floor of each car which are filled or emptied until just sufficient imbalance is achieved to allow movement. The movement is then controlled by a brakeman.
Funiculars used in mines were sometimes unpowered gravity planes, also known as self-acting inclines or brake inclines. The weight of descending loaded wagons was used to pull the empty mine wagons.
Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway is a funicular railway in Kaunas, Lithuania. Built in 1931, it is the oldest funicular in Lithuania. The funicular is made of a wood-paneled coachwork and is serviced by a uniformed, English-speaking operator. The climb of 142 metres (466 ft) up from behind the Vytautas the Great War Museum to the Church of the Resurrection offers some of the best views in Kaunas. The ticket costs 0.5 litas.
It was constructed by the engineering office Curt Rudolph Transportanlagen from Dresden, Germany with electrical equipment from AEG and mechanical parts from Bell Maschinenfabrik, Switzerland. The official opening was on 5 August 1931 with one passenger car, while the second car was only a platform ballasted with stones used to counterbalance the passenger car. The electric overhead power cable and the pantographs of the coaches are only used for lighting and heating of the cars. The upper station housed the electrically driven funicular mechanism in the basement, whilst the lower end of the line did not even have a shelter till 1932.