The Orient Express was a luxury train that operated throughout Europe in the 20th century. Founded in 1883, it became a symbol of luxury travel. The train offered sleeper cars, gourmet meals, and personal service. It was discontinued during World War I and II but resumed after peace was restored. The original Orient Express ceased operations in 2009, but a similar service remains. The train has appeared in books and films, including Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
The Orient Express was the name of a luxury train that provided services throughout Europe throughout the 20th century. Founded in the 20th, the train soon became the global symbol of luxury rail travel. The easternmost leg of the route was in Turkey, on the border with the Asian continent, i.e. the East. The famous train has appeared in books, films and popular culture, including a classic mystery story. It officially went out of business in 1880, although a similar company quickly resumed its traditional course.
Belgian businessman and engineer Georges Nagelmackers founded the Express d’Orient in 1883. At the time, the railway infrastructure in Europe was still under construction. Passengers had to take a steamship to the easternmost terminal in Istanbul, Turkey, then known as Constantinople. In 1889, the construction of the railway was completed, allowing passengers to take the train directly from Paris to Istanbul, a journey of 68 hours. The train was officially renamed the Orient Express in 1891.
Originally the service relied on rails and locomotives supplied by the various nations en route. Nagelmakers’ innovation was to provide luxury sleeper cars, similar to the Pullman service then popular in the United States. These, together with gourmet meals and personal service such as a person might find in a fine hotel, have established the Orient Express as a top-notch establishment. It has become a status symbol for wealthy travelers to take the Express on European vacations. His journey through sometimes hostile nations has provided him with an image of intrigue and romance.
The Orient Express service was discontinued during World War I and World War II, resuming as soon as European peace was restored. Alternative routes traveled through Switzerland, Italy and even Greece, sometimes interrupted by wars and other conflicts. A London stop was provided by the Channel Tunnel, completed in 1994. The original Orient Express ceased operations on 12 December 2009, to the dismay of railway enthusiasts worldwide. A similar service, with equally luxurious accommodations, remains in operation as of 2011.
Since its inception, the Orient Express has provided an exotic location for books and films. Dr. Van Helsing’s band of vampire hunters use the train to defeat Dracula in Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 horror novel. Agatha Christie, inspired by a trip on the Southern route, wrote Murder on the Orient Express in the 1930s. The mystery has since been adapted many times, including an award-winning 1974 film with an all-star cast. Other writers inspired by the romantic route included British authors Graham Greene and Ian Fleming, who set a scene on the train in the James Bond adventure From Russia With Love.
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