A railway line for horse-drawn cars was built between České Budějovice and Linz in 1825-1832. It was extended to Gmunden, Austria, in 1836. At the time, this horse-drawn railway was the longest railway line on the European continent.
The most important preserved historic relics of this railway in Bohemia include guard house no. 1 built in 1828 and located in Mánesova Street. The exhibition introduces the history of the railway line, the hard life of the railway workers, and the present situation of the guard houses. The tour includes documentaries and short movies from the history of the horse-drawn railway line.
In spite of some structural modifications, guard house no. 1 in Mánesova Street is the only authentic structure in the city with a direct connection to the horse-drawn railway. It used to be the home of railway guards, employees of the railway company. Each guard was in charge of a section about 3 km long and performed various required tasks on track maintenance in addition to guarding.