2023The 175th Anniversary of Slovak Rail Transport - First Day Cover

The idea for the first railway in Slovakia was closely connected with the intention of Baron Rotschild to connect Vienna and the salt deposits in Galicia (Poland) by rail. Rotschild gained approval for the construction of the main line on 4th March 1836, and as soon as three days later, on 7th March 1836, he submitted an application for a permit to construct a branch line from Deutsch Wagram via Marchegg to Bratislava. Later, his plan changed and the branch line to Marchegg was ultimately connected to Gänserndorf. The layout of rail line to Bratislava was also not clear in the beginning. On one hand, the representatives of the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway, who built and subsequently operated the main rail line from Vienna northwards, first planned that after the line crossed the Danube and the provincial border at Marchegg, it would continue on through Devínska Nová Ves and Devín along the Danube, and then up into Bratislava city centre. On the other hand, a consortium led by Baron Sina was also interested in the construction of a line to Bratislava to provide a connection between Vienna and Győr, along the right hand bank of the Danube with a branch line to Bratislava.