Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof
Encyclopedia
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 opposite is the headquarters of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
. The station is located about two kilometres west of Central Heidelberg. It is served by the RheinNeckar S-Bahn
.
In 1840, the original Heidelberg Terminus of the first Baden Railway line to Mannheim
was opened on a site that lies between the current streets of Poststraße and Kurfürstenanlage, with the station forecourt bordering on the current Rohrbacherstraße. In 1846 a railway
was built to Frankfurt
and in 1862 a through station was built south of the terminus for lines
to Heilbronn
and the Odenwald
. During the industrialisation
of Germany, Heidelberg grew rapidly, so that the original railway station, which had been built outside the city limits was now surrounded by a built-up area. This made the necessary extensions of the station's trackwork impossible and also hindered the growth of urban transport. Thus, by the end of the 19th century plans had been developed for a new station. The new station was finally opened on 5 May 1955, delayed by World War I
and World War II
. It is located 1,200 metres west of the old site.
Central station
A central station usually designates the principal passenger railway station of cities which have multiple stations. The central station functions as the main transport hub for rail transport, normally with interchange with other modes of public transport...
for Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. In 2005 it was used by 30,472 passengers daily and is one of the largest passenger stations in Baden-Wurttemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
. The main station entrance opened in 1955 in Willy-Brandt-Platz in the western district of Heidelberg, on the edge of the district. Diagonally opposite is the headquarters of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG is a German precision mechanical engineering company with head offices in Heidelberg . It is a manufacturer of offset printing presses sold globally. The company has a worldwide market share of more than 47% in this area and is the largest global manufacturer of...
. The station is located about two kilometres west of Central Heidelberg. It is served by the RheinNeckar S-Bahn
RheinNeckar S-Bahn
The Rhine-Neckar S-Bahn forms the backbone of the urban rail transport network of the Rhine Neckar Area, including the cities of Mannheim, Heidelberg and Ludwigshafen....
.
History
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
was opened on a site that lies between the current streets of Poststraße and Kurfürstenanlage, with the station forecourt bordering on the current Rohrbacherstraße. In 1846 a 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...
was built to Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
and in 1862 a through station was built south of the terminus for lines
Neckar Valley Railway
The Neckar Valley Railway, or Neckar Valley Main Line is a railway line from Heidelberg via Eberbach and Mosbach to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld in southwestern Germany...
to Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
and the Odenwald
Odenwald
The Odenwald is a low mountain range in Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany.- Location :The Odenwald lies between the Upper Rhine Rift Valley with the Bergstraße and the Hessisches Ried in the west, the Main and the Bauland in the east, the Hanau-Seligenstadt Basin – a subbasin of...
. During the industrialisation
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
of Germany, Heidelberg grew rapidly, so that the original railway station, which had been built outside the city limits was now surrounded by a built-up area. This made the necessary extensions of the station's trackwork impossible and also hindered the growth of urban transport. Thus, by the end of the 19th century plans had been developed for a new station. The new station was finally opened on 5 May 1955, delayed by World War I
World 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...
and 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...
. It is located 1,200 metres west of the old site.