10 Extra The establishment of the Raetian railways Patients suffering from tuberculosis from all over Europe went to Davos to have their illness treated. The Dutchman Willem Jan Holsboer (1834‒1898) ran a sanatorium together with doctor Alexander Spengler. In order to facilitate his patients’ journey, he initiated the construction of a railway line. Work began in 1888 on the line from Landquart to Davos and marked the beginning of the Raetian railways.Photo: Museum of local history, Davos + Plan for the Lukmanier railway line by La Nicca, 1866. In the 19th century various plans were made in the Grisons to connect the canton with Italy via a railway line. One to pioneer such a connection was the Grison engineer Richard La Nicca. When the Gotthard tunnel was opened in 1882 the Grisons’ dreams of an eastern Alpine railway line came to naught.Image: State archive, Graubünden, StAGR P 01.17.2 + Advertising poster with timetable of the Raetian railways for the line Landquart-Klosters-Davos opened in 1890: «Landquart-Davos. The shortest way to the Engadine».Photo: Raetian Museum + Construction workers at the Landwasser viaduct, c. 1901. Italian workers were often hired for the construction of the railway lines. In 1902 the first trains ran across the Landwasser viaduct. This railway bridge was to become an icon of railway traffic.Photo: Raetian Museum + Steam railway (Mallet steam locomotive) near Preda, early 20th century.Photo: Raetian Museum + Electrical locomotive Ge 6/6, popularly known as «Crocodile», 1939. Fifteen such units were ordered in the years between 1921 and 1929. The Raetian railways had begun electrification of its line network as early as 1907.Photo: Raetian Museum + The railway station at Chur around 1903/06. It was opened in 1858 and moved to the Gürtel street in 1876, where it is until today. Over the years the buildings were rebuilt several times.Photo: Raetian Museum + Since 2008 the Raetian railways has been part of the Unesco world cultural heritage (in German).Poster: Verein Welterbe RhB +