The Bohinj Tunnel

The Bohinj Tunnel was one of the most demanding projects on the entire line. Construction began in 1901, but the first exploratory work started several years earlier. The tunnel was built by the well-known company owned by Giacomo Ceconi, who also designed the entire Bohinj Line concept. Initially, manual drilling was used, but in 1903 mechanical drilling was started simultaneously from both sides. The drilling equipment and ventilation ran on electricity from power plants in Bohinjska Bistrica and Podbrdo built especially for this purpose. Various transportation means ran on steam.

During excavation, builders had to deal with frequent inrushes of underground water and gas. Work was also slowed by the low temperatures of the rocks to be cut through. Nonetheless, the project was finished on time and on 31 May 1904 the tunnel was officially broken through. When the Bohinj Line was opened, the tunnel was 6,339 meters long, but today it is 12 meters shorter because in 1945 German troops detonated the northern entrance while withdrawing.

Northern construction site of the Bohinj Tunnel in Bohinjska Bistrica.

Gathering various building materials at the entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel.

Administrative buildings of the Ceconi company in Bohinjska Bistrica.

Transporting cut stone blocks from the quarry near Bohinjska Bistrica.

Start of construction at the northern site of the Bohinj Tunnel.

A plan of the Bohinj Tunnel under Kobla Hill.

Manually drilling holes in the Bohinj Tunnel.

Lining the arch of the tunnel shaft with precision-cut stone blocks.

The tunnel shaft, supported by strong retaining beams.

Air was supplied to the tunnel's interior through ventilation pipes.

The purchase of the Siemens & Halske electric drill made excavation considerably easier.

Using the electric drill in the Bohinj Tunnel shaft.

The interior of the Bohinjska Bistrica power plant.

A wooden headrace for conveying water to the engine room with turbines.

Engine building with fans that supplied fresh air to the tunnel's interior.

Southern construction site of the Bohinj Tunnel at Podbrdo.

Beginning the excavation of the tunnel shaft on the Podbrdo side.

Construction of the stone foundation and southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel.

A makeshift wooden bridge for accessing the southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel.

A view from lower Podbrdo towards the old village core.

A small steam engine named “Podbrdo” on the southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel.

Heads of the southern construction site in Podbrdo.

Material excavated from the Bohinj Tunnel was used to build the strong embankment at Podbrdo.

A strong wooden retaining structure that helped builders fortify and build the railroad embankment.

Together with the tunnel, a magnificent embankment grew in Podbrdo.

A bell tower in Podbrdo, which marked the beginning and end of work shifts.

Festively decorated southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel on the day of its breakthrough.

Southern site management staff and guests of honor on the day of the tunnel breakthrough.

A procession of locals in front of the entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel after breakthrough.

A postcard of the southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel, 1906.

Southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel, interwar period.

Today's southern entrance of the Bohinj Tunnel is slightly changed.

After the railway was completed, a new and modern village core began to develop.

The narrow bed of the Bača River and the main road squeezed close to each other.

Italian concrete barrier at the exit from the Bohinj Tunnel at Podbrdo.

Trackmen maintaining and repairing tracks at Podbrdo.

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