Gare du Sud
Encyclopedia
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The station served as the terminus of a narrow-gauge railway from Digne-les-Bains
Digne-les-Bains
Digne-les-Bains or simply and historically Digne is a commune of France, capital of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department.-History:...
to Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
until December 1991.
History
Station construction lasted from 1890 to June, 1892. Working for the Compagnie des Chemins de fer du Sud de la France, architect Prosper Bobin designed a monumental and imposing facade with a central high section flanked by two side pavilions. A tall metal roof covered the tracks that led to GrasseGrasse
-See also:*Route Napoléon*Ancient Diocese of Grasse*Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department-External links:*...
and Puget-Théniers
Puget-Théniers
Puget-Théniers is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Population:-External links:* & ....
. Lines to Digne
Digne-les-Bains
Digne-les-Bains or simply and historically Digne is a commune of France, capital of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department.-History:...
and Annot
Annot
Annot is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.-Geography:It is situated on the banks of the Vaïre river which flows right through the centre of town. It is located 15 km west of Entrevaux.The city is located in a...
were opened in 1911.
The passenger building was built in neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style, with no compromise on elegance but at a reasonable cost. The glass roof came from the Russian and Austro-Hungarian pavilion of the 1889 Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Exposition Universelle
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
. It was listed in 2005.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the line to Meyrargues
Meyrargues
Meyrargues is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
remained closed, leaving the Nice-Digne service. The Chemins de Fer de Provence closed the station in December 1991, and moved its terminating services to a small new station, Nice CP
Gare de Nice CP
Gare de Nice CP is a small railway station in Nice, France. The station has been the terminus of a narrow-gauge Chemins de Fer de Provence from Digne-les-Bains since December 1991....
, situated a short distance upline.
Ownership of the station building was transferred from l'Etat Français
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
to the city of Nice in 2000. It was planned to demolish the metal hall and glass roof, and to dismantle the façade. Following public outcry, the minister of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres
Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres
Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres , often known as RDDV, is a French politician, France's Minister of Culture from 2004 to 2007...
opposed the plan in 2004.
Future
Although the building has been saved, its future is uncertain. Several projects have been proposed, one being the taking over of the building by various artistic associations which needed a home, another the controversial transfer of NiceNice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
's town hall to the station site.
Following the failure of the 2000 project, the town asked architect Pierre-Louis Faloci to create a new design which would preserve the entire passenger building as well as the metal hall. This project was approved by the Ministry of Culture on 12 May 2005, and anticipates the erection above the station of a vast porch roof, a "shade", to be covered with 2000 square meters of electricity producing solar panels. The project includes the construction of a media library and sports complex, as well as the rehabilitation of the School of Fine Arts, and creation of a 1300-space parking lot.