Výtopna Kořenov

Výtopna Kořenov is a historic Alpine-style engine shed standing right by the railway station in Kořenov, a village tucked into the Jizera Mountains near the Polish border. The stone rotunda was built in 1903 as part of the technical facilities for the Czech Republic's only rack railway, running from Tanvald through Kořenov toward Harrachov and, in earlier times, across the border to Hirschberg (today's Jelenia Góra). For more than eighty years, from 1903 until 1987, the shed housed and serviced the steam and later diesel-powered rack locomotives that hauled trains up the steep gradient. In 1987 the roof collapsed under heavy snow, and the abandoned building sat deteriorating for decades.

How to get there?

The Výtopna stands in the western part of Kořenov railway station, and the most fitting way to arrive is aboard the rack railway itself, on the Tanvald–Kořenov–Harrachov line — the ride is worth experiencing as an attraction in its own right, since it's the only cog railway in the country and one of the steepest in Europe. Drivers will find parking right by the station, just a short walk from the exhibition entrance.

What will you see?

A full-scale restoration took place between August 2015 and July 2016, following a design by Ivan Lejčar based on the original technical plans and drawings. The quality of the reconstruction earned the Výtopna the Patrimonium pro futuro award from the National Heritage Institute in 2016. Today the building serves a working purpose again, storing and maintaining historic rolling stock operated by the Tanvald railway company.

Inside the rotunda visitors can see the unique rack locomotive T426.0, nicknamed "Rakušanka," the diesel locomotives T435.0111 "Hektor" and T211.037 "Zapalovač," the railcars M240.056 "Singrovka" and M152.0453 "Orchestrion," and the vintage draisine Vm32.003 "Hermoch." A particular highlight is a Swiss rack-railway carriage known as the "Rowazug," built in 1912 — a vehicle that once climbed as high as 3,454 metres above sea level, serving Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest railway station, in the Alps.

Visits are guided-tour only, with groups departing from the museum ticket office at the station every quarter hour past the hour — the first tour leaves at 10:15 and the last at 16:15.

When to visit?

Summer and early autumn are the best times to come, when the surrounding trails of the Jizera Mountains invite longer hikes and a ride on the historic rack railway can easily be combined with a shed visit in a single day. It's worth checking the current opening schedule before you set out, since the number of daily guided tours is limited.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit Výtopna Kořenov without a guide? No — access to the historic engine shed is only possible as part of a guided group, with tours departing every 15 minutes from the museum ticket office at the station.

What exhibits are inside the building? The shed houses historic rack-railway rolling stock: steam and diesel locomotives, railcars, a draisine, and the Swiss "Rowazug" carriage that once ran the route up to Jungfraujoch.

Why is it called a "výtopna"? It's the Czech term for an engine shed or locomotive depot — a place where locomotives serving the steep, toothed rails between Tanvald and Kořenov were serviced and stored.

Is it worth combining the visit with a ride on the rack railway? Absolutely — the Tanvald–Kořenov–Harrachov line is the only rack railway in the Czech Republic and an attraction in its own right, and arriving by train drops you right at the museum's doorstep.