Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0100Thu, 23 Jul 2026 02:25:17 +0200https://english.radio.cz/gerstner-and-son-czech-engineers-and-railway-pioneers-worth-their-salt-8089287© 2026 Radio Prague InternationalHomer called it a "divine substance;" Plato held that it was "especially dear" to the gods. As essential to the human body as water, the earliest historical records show that the abundance or scarcity of salt could drastically affect the health of entire populations. It was the quest for a cheaper way to transport salt that inspired the engineering Gerstners to build the first horse-drawn railway in continental Europe.encr@radio.cz (Cesky Rozhlas)webmaster@radio.cz (CRo Webmaster) https://english.radio.cz/sites/default/files/images/konesprezka1.jpg?timestamp=1591422330 https://english.radio.cz/gerstner-and-son-czech-engineers-and-railway-pioneers-worth-their-salt-8089287 Radio Prague International Radio Prague International radio.prague.int@gmail.com clean 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9