Frankfurt western stations
Encyclopedia
The Frankfurt western stations were a group of three stations on the western edge of the former city walls of Frankfurt am Main, Germany between the modern Willy-Brandt-Platz, then the location of Gallustor (Gallus
gate) and Taunustor (Taunus
gate). They were replaced by Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof
in 1888.
Three lines came together on the western outskirts of Frankfurt, the Taunus Railway from Wiesbaden
(opened in 1839), the Main-Neckar Railway
from Heidelberg
(1846) and the Main-Weser Railway
from Kassel
(1850), then terminated at three adjacent western stations (from north to south) :
Between 1846 and 1848, prior to the completion of the rail bridge over the Main, the first Main-Neckar station was just south of the Main at Mainspitze station, with trains reversing to the old Sachsenhausen station station (later called Lokalbahnhof) at Sachsenhausen
.
In 1888, this group of three stations was replaced by Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, which was about half a kilometre further west. The eastern rim of the Am Hauptbahnhof square (east of the Hauptbahnhof) traces the former link line between the Main-Neckar and the Main-Weser lines.
the Bahnhofsviertel
district was built on the site. The former connecting lines to the western stations were converted into streets and squares. The part of the former Main-Weser line between Bockenheim station (today: Frankfurt West station
) and Am Hauptbahnhof square became Bahnstraße (literally "railway street") and is now called Hamburger Allee, Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage, Platz der Republik and Dortmunder Straße. The Main-Neckar railway bridge over the Main was converted into a road bridge, then called Wilhelm bridge, now called Friedensbrücke ("Peace Bridge"). Further south the line became Stresemannallee.
Gallus (Frankfurt am Main)
Gallus, former Gallusviertel, is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I, and is subdivided into 7 Stadtbezirke....
gate) and Taunustor (Taunus
Taunus
The Taunus is a low mountain range in Hesse, Germany that composes part of the Rhenish Slate Mountains. It is bounded by the river valleys of Rhine, Main and Lahn. On the opposite side of the Rhine, the mountains are continued by the Hunsrück...
gate). They were replaced by Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for Frankfurt am Main. In terms of railway traffic, it is the busiest railway station in Germany. With about 350,000 passengers per day the station is the second most frequented railway station in Germany and one of the most frequented in Europe.- Proto-history :In the late...
in 1888.
Stations and lines
Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Wiesbaden, the state capital of the German state of Hesse. It is a terminal station at the southern edge of the city center and is served by over 500 long-distance and regional trains and used by more than 30,000 travelers each day.-History:The current station...
(opened in 1839), the Main-Neckar Railway
Main-Neckar Railway
The Main-Neckar Railway is a main line railway west of the Odenwald in the Upper Rhine Plain of Germany that connects Frankfurt am Main to Heidelberg via Darmstadt, Bensheim and Weinheim...
from Heidelberg
Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for Heidelberg. In 2005 it was used by 30,472 passengers daily and is one of the largest passenger stations in Baden-Wurttemberg. The main station entrance opened in 1955 in Willy-Brandt-Platz in the western district of Heidelberg, on the edge of the district. Diagonally...
(1846) and the Main-Weser Railway
Main-Weser Railway
The Main-Weser Railway is the railway line in central Germany that runs from Frankfurt am Main via Gießen to Kassel and named after the railway company that built the line and also operated it until 1880. It was opened between 1849 and 1852 and was one of the first railways in Germany.- Route...
from Kassel
Kassel Hauptbahnhof
Kassel Hauptbahnhof is a "DB" railway station in the city of Kassel, in the German state of Hesse. Situated in the central borough of Mitte, it is the city's second important railway station after the opening of Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe in 1991; and so it is the only Hauptbahnhof that is not the main...
(1850), then terminated at three adjacent western stations (from north to south) :
- Main-Weser station , opened in 1850,
- Taunus station (Taunusbahnhof), opened in 1839,
- Main-Neckar station (Main-Neckar-Bahnhof), opened in 1848.
Between 1846 and 1848, prior to the completion of the rail bridge over the Main, the first Main-Neckar station was just south of the Main at Mainspitze station, with trains reversing to the old Sachsenhausen station station (later called Lokalbahnhof) at Sachsenhausen
Sachsenhausen (Frankfurt am Main)
Sachsenhausen is a part of the city of Frankfurt, Germany. Composed of two districts: Sachsenhausen-Nord and Sachsenhausen-Süd, it is part of the Ortsbezirk Süd. It is located on the South bank of the Main river, right in the city center, opposite the Old Town.Sachsenhausen was founded as...
.
In 1888, this group of three stations was replaced by Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, which was about half a kilometre further west. The eastern rim of the Am Hauptbahnhof square (east of the Hauptbahnhof) traces the former link line between the Main-Neckar and the Main-Weser lines.
Current situation
The redundant infrastructure of the western stations was demolished. The International Electro-Technical Exhibition – 1891 was built on the site. In the period up to World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the Bahnhofsviertel
Bahnhofsviertel (Frankfurt am Main)
The Bahnhofsviertel is a district or Stadtteil of Frankfurt am Main. It is part of the Ortsbezirk Innenstadt I. It was developed between 1891 and 1915 on the land of the established Westbahnhof.-Geography:...
district was built on the site. The former connecting lines to the western stations were converted into streets and squares. The part of the former Main-Weser line between Bockenheim station (today: Frankfurt West station
Frankfurt West station
Frankfurt West station is a regional and S-Bahn station in western Frankfurt am Main, Germany on the Main-Weser Railway, in the district of Bockenheim, near the Frankfurt Trade Fair grounds and the Bockenheim campus of the Goethe University Frankfurt....
) and Am Hauptbahnhof square became Bahnstraße (literally "railway street") and is now called Hamburger Allee, Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage, Platz der Republik and Dortmunder Straße. The Main-Neckar railway bridge over the Main was converted into a road bridge, then called Wilhelm bridge, now called Friedensbrücke ("Peace Bridge"). Further south the line became Stresemannallee.