Way back in 1908, the Bolzano innkeeper Josef Staffler transformed his manor house into a hotel and built the most innovative cableway system in the world for the transport of people. This pioneering system, consisting of two open cabins with capacity for 6 passengers each, had a stepped floor similar to funiculars and the ropes were supported by wooden pylons. In just 14 minutes, it covered an altitude difference of 800 meters on an oblique section of 1640 metres. However, the first two cabins supplied by the Simmering wagon factory were too heavy to be approved for passenger transport, so they were replaced by 6 wooden cabins. This extraordinary plant remained in operation from 29 June 1908 to 1 October 1910, leaving an indelible mark in the history of Alpine transport.