Westhafen (Berlin U-Bahn)
Encyclopedia
Berlin Westhafen is a station in the Moabit
district of Berlin
. It is served by the S-Bahn
lines and and the U-Bahn
line .
and also with the name Putlitzstraße, although no direct interchange with the S-Bahn station existed. In 1980 the S-Bahn station lost its service owing to cessation of services on the Western part of the Ringbahn (circle line).
After the Wall fell, S-Bahn services were gradually reinstated. In 1992, the U-Bahn station was renamed Westhafen after a nearby port and on its reopening on 19 December 1999, the S-Bahn station also assumed this name. Once one of the least-frequented U-Bahn stations on the network, the whole complex has now won a significance as an interchange between S-Bahn and U-Bahn.
In the year 2000, the station was redesigned by artists Françoise Schein and Barbara Reiter: they installed the 1948 text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
, juxtaposed with quotes of Heinrich Heine
in German
and French language
.
Moabit
Moabit is an inner city locality of Berlin. Since Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it belongs to the newly regrouped governmental borough of Mitte. Previously, from 1920 to 2001, it belonged to the borough of Tiergarten. Moabit's borders are defined by three watercourses, the Spree, the...
district of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. It is served by the S-Bahn
Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
lines and and the U-Bahn
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...
line .
Overview
The S-Bahn station was opened in 1897 under the name Putlitzstraße, which is the street on which the station lies. Despite sustaining damage during the Second World War, the station remained in service. The U-Bahn station was opened on 28 August 1961, soon after the building of the Berlin WallBerlin 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...
and also with the name Putlitzstraße, although no direct interchange with the S-Bahn station existed. In 1980 the S-Bahn station lost its service owing to cessation of services on the Western part of the Ringbahn (circle line).
After the Wall fell, S-Bahn services were gradually reinstated. In 1992, the U-Bahn station was renamed Westhafen after a nearby port and on its reopening on 19 December 1999, the S-Bahn station also assumed this name. Once one of the least-frequented U-Bahn stations on the network, the whole complex has now won a significance as an interchange between S-Bahn and U-Bahn.
In the year 2000, the station was redesigned by artists Françoise Schein and Barbara Reiter: they installed the 1948 text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
, juxtaposed with quotes of Heinrich Heine
Heinrich Heine
Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Robert Schumann...
in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.