Heinrich-Heine-Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Encyclopedia
Heinrich-Heine-Straße is a Berlin U-Bahn
station on the , located under the street of the same name in Mitte
, and protected as an architectural landmark
. The street and the station were called Neanderstraße until 1960.
- Neukölln
Railway) line from the AEG
subsidiary which was unable to complete it in the aftermath of World War I
, the Neanderstraße station was built in 1926–28 and opened on 6 April 1928. It was the northern terminus of the line for two years, until 18 April 1930, when Gesundbrunnen station opened.
Alfred Grenander
designed the station in his characteristic sparse New Objectivist
style and chose pale violet or aubergine (similar to Kottbusser Tor
) as the distinguishing colour for the wall tiles and the tiled central pillars on the platform level.
The station lies at "one and a half depth" because it is under buildings. Like many Berlin U-Bahn stations, it has an island platform and entrances at both ends, north and south. All are stairways; the station has no lift. One of the two northern entrances is incorporated into a building on the corner of Köpenicker Straße, with offices and flats above. This building is also protected as an architectural landmark. The other northern entrance and the southern entrance, at the corner of Schmidstraße, were also formerly incorporated into buildings, one of the models being entrances to London Underground
stations; Neanderstraße was then unusually narrow and this line was the first use in Berlin of entrances set into buildings. The other buildings were destroyed in World War II
and those stairs have since led directly from the street.
Following the fall of Berlin, the U-Bahn was closed at the end of April 1945. Service resumed at Neanderstraße on 3 June that year. Mitte was within the Soviet zone which became East Berlin
; the station was renamed Heinrich-Heine-Straße on 31 August 1960 following a decision by the Berlin Magistrat on 22 July to rename the street. After the construction of the Berlin wall
a year later, on 13 August 1961, U-Bahn trains on Lines C and D ( and ) no longer stopped in East Berlin and Heinrich-Heine-Straße became one of the ghost stations. The entrances were blocked up and the stairwell enclosures removed so that they were no longer visible. Use did not resume until German reunification
almost 30 years later, on 1 July 1990. East Berlin U-Bahn stairway enclosures were built in early 1990 for the entrances from the street. Because of the long closure, the station retains much of its original appearance: 3 platform kiosks, direction indicators, nameplates (black with white lettering on this line; Grenander believed this made them easier to read), wooden poster frames, and wrought iron exit gates.
The Sage Club, a Berlin dance club, has operated since 1997 in the disused station mezzanine level in the Köpenicker Straße building.
Berlin U-Bahn
The Berlin is a rapid transit railway in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and is a major part of the public transport system of that city. Opened in 1902, the serves 173 stations spread across ten lines, with a total track length of , about 80% of which is underground...
station on the , located under the street of the same name in Mitte
Mitte
Mitte is the first and most central borough of Berlin. It was created in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by the merger of the former districts of Mitte proper, Tiergarten and Wedding; the resulting borough retained the name Mitte. It is one of the two boroughs which comprises former West and...
, and protected as an architectural landmark
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
. The street and the station were called Neanderstraße until 1960.
History
After the City of Berlin took over the incomplete GN-Bahn (GesundbrunnenGesundbrunnen
Gesundbrunnen is a locality of Berlin in the borough of Mitte. It was created as a separate entity by the 2001 administrative reform, formerly the eastern half of the former Wedding district and locality...
- Neukölln
Neukölln
Neukölln is the eighth borough of Berlin, located in the southeastern part of the city and was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city...
Railway) line from the AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
subsidiary which was unable to complete it in the aftermath of 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...
, the Neanderstraße station was built in 1926–28 and opened on 6 April 1928. It was the northern terminus of the line for two years, until 18 April 1930, when Gesundbrunnen station opened.
Alfred Grenander
Alfred Grenander
Alfred Frederik Elias Grenander, , was one of the most prominent architects during the first building period of the Berlin U-Bahn in the first half of the twentieth century....
designed the station in his characteristic sparse New Objectivist
New Objectivity (architecture)
The New Objectivity is a name often given to the Modern architecture that emerged in Europe, primarily German-speaking Europe, in the 1920s and 30s. It is also frequently called Neues Bauen...
style and chose pale violet or aubergine (similar to Kottbusser Tor
Kottbusser Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)
Kottbusser Tor is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and . Many Berliners use the affectionate term Kotti.It is located in central Kreuzberg. The area has a bad reputation for the relatively high, mainly drug-related crime rate, instances of which have recently become quite rare in most other...
) as the distinguishing colour for the wall tiles and the tiled central pillars on the platform level.
The station lies at "one and a half depth" because it is under buildings. Like many Berlin U-Bahn stations, it has an island platform and entrances at both ends, north and south. All are stairways; the station has no lift. One of the two northern entrances is incorporated into a building on the corner of Köpenicker Straße, with offices and flats above. This building is also protected as an architectural landmark. The other northern entrance and the southern entrance, at the corner of Schmidstraße, were also formerly incorporated into buildings, one of the models being entrances to London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
stations; Neanderstraße was then unusually narrow and this line was the first use in Berlin of entrances set into buildings. The other buildings were destroyed in 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...
and those stairs have since led directly from the street.
Following the fall of Berlin, the U-Bahn was closed at the end of April 1945. Service resumed at Neanderstraße on 3 June that year. Mitte was within the Soviet zone which became East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
; the station was renamed Heinrich-Heine-Straße on 31 August 1960 following a decision by the Berlin Magistrat on 22 July to rename the street. After the construction of the Berlin wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
a year later, on 13 August 1961, U-Bahn trains on Lines C and D ( and ) no longer stopped in East Berlin and Heinrich-Heine-Straße became one of the ghost stations. The entrances were blocked up and the stairwell enclosures removed so that they were no longer visible. Use did not resume until German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
almost 30 years later, on 1 July 1990. East Berlin U-Bahn stairway enclosures were built in early 1990 for the entrances from the street. Because of the long closure, the station retains much of its original appearance: 3 platform kiosks, direction indicators, nameplates (black with white lettering on this line; Grenander believed this made them easier to read), wooden poster frames, and wrought iron exit gates.
The Sage Club, a Berlin dance club, has operated since 1997 in the disused station mezzanine level in the Köpenicker Straße building.
External links
- Gallery at Untergrundbahn.de
- Club description page at Sage Club