Kassel Hauptbahnhof
Encyclopedia
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 station of its city.
, was romantic neoclassical
. The reconstruction, started in 1952, was completed in 1960 by the architect Friedrich Bätjer with the style of 1950s maintaining some original elements.
began constructing the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, Kassel originally was not supposed to have a station on the line at all. When it was decided to connect the city, Kassel posed a unique problem, the Hauptbahnhof was a terminal station
. Options were discussed, among them the remodeling of Kassel's main station and the construction of an entirely new station. On 13 November 1981 construction of the high speed rail line started on Hesse
territory, and it was decided to erect the new main station in the Kassel borough of Bad Wilhelmshöhe, opened on May 29 1991.
In 1995 the station was thoroughly renovated and conceived (so far uniquely) as a Kulturbahnhof (cultural station). Thus emerged – in addition to art galleries, an architecture center and restaurants – an exhibition space for comic arts, the Caricatura museum and two repertory cinemas.
). The station is served by several lines of the tramway net, RegioTram and buses.
Due to its central position in the city it is a busy station, terminal of several regional DB lines:
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
" railway station in the city of Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
state of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. 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 station of its city.
Early history
Construction of the station building, projected by Gottlob Engelhard, started in a period between 1851 and 1856 . The style of the original building, bombed during World War IIWorld 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...
, was romantic 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...
. The reconstruction, started in 1952, was completed in 1960 by the architect Friedrich Bätjer with the style of 1950s maintaining some original elements.
Recent history
When the Deutsche BundesbahnDeutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
began constructing the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, Kassel originally was not supposed to have a station on the line at all. When it was decided to connect the city, Kassel posed a unique problem, the Hauptbahnhof was a terminal station
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
. Options were discussed, among them the remodeling of Kassel's main station and the construction of an entirely new station. On 13 November 1981 construction of the high speed rail line started on Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
territory, and it was decided to erect the new main station in the Kassel borough of Bad Wilhelmshöhe, opened on May 29 1991.
In 1995 the station was thoroughly renovated and conceived (so far uniquely) as a Kulturbahnhof (cultural station). Thus emerged – in addition to art galleries, an architecture center and restaurants – an exhibition space for comic arts, the Caricatura museum and two repertory cinemas.
Structure and transport
Kassel Hauptbahnhof is a terminal station with 8 tracks and other 3 in the tunnel station for the RegioTram (a sort of StadtbahnStadtbahn
A ' is a tramway or light railway that includes segments built to rapid transit standards, usually as part of a process of conversion to a metro railway, mainly by the building of tunnels in the central city area....
). The station is served by several lines of the tramway net, RegioTram and buses.
Due to its central position in the city it is a busy station, terminal of several regional DB lines:
- Frederick William Northern Railway to BebraBebra stationBebra station is a railway station on the German passenger and freight rail network in the northern Hesse town of Bebra. It is a railway junction as well as an intercity stop on the Dortmund–Berlin–Stralsund route. The station was opened in 1846 and quickly became a major transport hub...
and Frankfurt–Bebra line to Fulda, - Halle–Kassel lineHalle–Kassel railwayThe Halle-Kassel Railway is a 218 km long main line operated by the Deutsche Bahn in Germany, which links Halle in Saxony-Anhalt with Kassel in the state of Hesse. It is mainly used by regional and east-west goods trains...
to EichenbergNeu-Eichenberg-Location:Neu-Eichenberg lies near the three-state common point shared by Hesse, Thuringia and Lower Saxony between Kassel and Göttingen .-Neighbouring communities:...
and Bebra–Göttingen line to Göttingen, - Halle–Kassel lineHalle–Kassel railwayThe Halle-Kassel Railway is a 218 km long main line operated by the Deutsche Bahn in Germany, which links Halle in Saxony-Anhalt with Kassel in the state of Hesse. It is mainly used by regional and east-west goods trains...
to HalleHalle (Saale) HauptbahnhofHalle Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the city of Halle in southern part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt...
, - Frederick William Northern Railway to BebraBebra stationBebra station is a railway station on the German passenger and freight rail network in the northern Hesse town of Bebra. It is a railway junction as well as an intercity stop on the Dortmund–Berlin–Stralsund route. The station was opened in 1846 and quickly became a major transport hub...
and Thuringian Railway to ErfurtErfurt Hauptbahnhofis the central railway station of Erfurt in Germany. It is an important junctions of the German railways and is served by numerous local and long-distance rail services. Immediately north of the station, is Erfurt's city center. It had approximately 12.5 million passengers in 2006, that is an...
, - Main-Weser lineMain-Weser RailwayThe 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...
to FrankfurtFrankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhofis 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...
, - Kassel–Warburg railway to WarburgWarburgWarburg is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is in Höxter district and Detmold region...
and Upper Ruhr Valley Railway to HagenHagen Hauptbahnhofis the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Hagen in western Germany. It is an important rail hub for the southeastern Ruhr area, offering regional and long distance connections....
, - Volkmarsen–Vellmar-Obervellmar line to VolkmarsenVolkmarsenVolkmarsen is a small town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in northern Hesse, Germany.-Location:Volkmarsen lies on the northern edge of the Waldecker Tafel where it flattens out into the Diemel Valley, some 28 km northwest of Kassel and 7 km northeast of Bad Arolsen.-Neighbouring...
and Warburg–Sarnau line to KorbachKorbachKorbach is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and a former Hanseatic town. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Geography and geology :...
and - Edersee Railway to Bad WildungenBad WildungenBad Wildungen is a state-run spa and a small town in Waldeck-Frankenberg district in Hesse, Germany. It is located on the German Framework Road.-Geography:-Location:...
.
See also
- Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe
- List of railway stations in Hesse