s bet rie be ▁Kar ls ru he ▁GmbH ▁( VB K ), ▁a ▁company ▁owned ▁by ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Kar ls ru he . ▁The ▁city ▁itself ▁was ▁the ▁tram ▁network ' s ▁operator ▁between ▁ 1 9 0 3 ▁and ▁ 1 9 9 7 . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁Hor se ▁and ▁steam ▁During ▁the ▁Indust rial ▁Revolution , ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Kar ls ru he ▁grew ▁well ▁beyond ▁its ▁then ▁city ▁limits . ▁In ▁ 1 8 5 0 – 1 8 9 0 ▁alone , ▁the ▁population ▁quad ru ple d ▁to ▁nearly ▁ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁inhabitants , ▁making ▁it ▁necessary ▁to ▁create ▁a ▁better ▁transport ation ▁system . ▁A ▁horse - dra wn ▁tram way ▁was ▁first ▁proposed ▁un success fully ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 9 . ▁On ▁ 2 1 ▁January ▁ 1 8 7 7 , ▁the ▁first ▁horse - dra wn ▁tram way ▁was ▁opened ▁from ▁Gott es auer ▁Platz ▁to ▁M ühl burger ▁Tor ▁in ▁an ▁east - west ▁direction ▁through ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Kar ls ru he . ▁In ▁the ▁same ▁year , ▁this ▁was ▁followed ▁by ▁a ▁branch ▁line ▁to ▁the ▁old ▁railway ▁station ▁and ▁an ▁approximately ▁ 2   km ▁extension ▁from ▁M ühl burger ▁Tor ▁west ▁to ▁M ühl burg . ▁The ▁track ▁was ▁built ▁to ▁standard ▁gauge . ▁ ▁On ▁ 1 6 ▁July ▁ 1 8 8 1 , ▁an ▁approximately ▁ 4  