There is one Nuremberg tramcar which connects the twin cities of Nuremberg and Krakow in Poland like no other: the Zeppelin tram 144. It is considered the starting point of the more than 40-year partnership between the two cities and has now become a symbol of their long-standing friendship.
The Freunde der Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn e.V. (Friends of the Nuremberg-Fürth Tram Association), together with the Krakow transport company MPK Krakow, have turned the original tram into two – one for Krakow and one for Nuremberg. On Saturday, 7 June 2025, the two trams travelled together through Krakow to mark the opening of the season for the historic tram line 0, thus crowning the friendship. On Tuesday, 10 June 2025, the Nuremberg tram left Krakow on a low-loader to arrive in the Franconian metropolis in the early hours of Thursday, 12 June. There, in addition to some remaining work and details, the necessary tests for official approval of the vehicle are now pending. If everything goes according to plan, the tram is expected to begin passenger service in autumn 2025 as part of events organised by the St. Peter Historic Tram Depot of VAG Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg.
Approval and final touches
The conditions for registering the Zeppelin car for passenger service in Nuremberg are largely the same as those for a modern tram car. Test runs and various inspections are planned in collaboration with experts. Nearly 100 technical documents and certificates will be required for registration. All this work is carried out on a voluntary basis by knowledgeable members of the association, many of whom work full-time at VAG. They have already contributed around 7,000 hours of voluntary work and raised 225,000 euros in donations for the project.
A tram with a chequered history
The Zeppelin tram has a long and eventful history: back in 1976, the year the association ‘Freunde der Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn e. V.’ was founded, one of its members discovered the tram, which had been built by MAN in Nuremberg in 1909, in Krakow. It had been sold there during the Second World War under the Reichsleistungsgesetz (Reich Performance Law). From then on, the association’s goal was to restore the Zeppelin tram and bring it back to Nuremberg – despite the Iron Curtain and the difficult conditions that came with it. It so happened that Nuremberg and Krakow became twin cities in 1979, which probably played a role in the courtship of the Zeppelin tram. And lo and behold: in 1984, a Zeppelin tram restored in Krakow returned to Nuremberg. Although it was not approved for historic operation, it became the centrepiece of the St. Peter’s Historic Tram Depot, which opened in 1985. On the one hand, it marks the starting point of intensive relations between the association and the VAG with the Krakow transport authorities, and on the other hand, it was the initial spark for the collection of historic rail vehicles in Krakow.
Two became one
For this reason, it had been a matter close to the hearts of the Krakow residents in particular for some time to rebuild a Zeppelin tram for Krakow. But the Friends of the Nuremberg-Fürth Tramway had also long cherished the desire to turn the vehicle, which had not yet been approved for passenger service, into a fully operational historic tram. With the return of the rebuilt car, the association has now taken a decisive step closer to its goal. Information on financing, the status of the project, the special history of the car and the friendship between the two cities can be found at tw144.sfnbg.de .
(Info: VAG Nürnberg / Freunde der Nürnberg-Fürther Straßenbahn e.V.)
13.06.2025
