Historians of the Second Empire later regarded the railways as the first indicator of a unified state; the patriotic novelist, Wilhelm Raabe, wrote: "The German empire was founded with the construction of the first railway..."
Istoricii celui de-al doilea imperiu au privit ulterior căile ferate ca fiind primul indicator al unui stat unit; romancierul patriot, Wilhelm Raabe, scria: „Imperiul German a fost fondat cu construirea primei căi ferate ...”