Wien Praterstern is one of Vienna's

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 main railway stations, being used by 35,000 people daily. It is located on the roundabout

Roundabout

A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

 Praterstern in Leopoldstadt

Leopoldstadt

Leopoldstadt is the 2nd municipal District of Vienna . There are inhabitants over . It is situated in the heart of the city and, together with Brigittenau , forms a large island surrounded by the Danube Canal and, to the north, the Danube. It is named after Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor...

, in the north of the city. Vienna's two most recognisable structures, the Wiener Riesenrad (Ferris wheel

Ferris wheel

A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...

) and the Stephansdom

Stephansdom

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP...

 (cathedral) are both visible from the platforms.

History

The first station was built during the construction of the North railway, it was opened on 6 January 1838 as k.k. Nordbahnhof (Imperial and Royal North railway station) in the style in which the names of virtually all public works were rendered at the time. Due to rapidly rising passenger numbers, the station became too small very quickly and had to be rebuilt. Between 1858 and 1865, the station building in the vicinity of Praterstern was built. Like all other stations in Vienna at this time, the Northern Station was planned to be an exhibition building. Several architects were assigned to planning the building, interior decorating was done by sculptors and fresco painters. The station was opened on 15 November 1865. In the days of Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...

, the station was one of the most significant stations in Europe and Vienna's primary railway stations, connecting Vienna with Brno

Brno

Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...

, Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 and Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

. For many immigrants, it was the door to Vienna.

During 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 station was severely damaged by bombs and subsequently fell into disuse; it was finally demolished in 1965. The new building was constructed directly at Praterstern for logistical reasons and was opened on 1 June 1959 as Bahnhof Praterstern. On 1 September 1975, it was renamed Wien Nord.

In 1997, the Austrian Federal Railways

ÖBB

The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...

 started a nationwide renovation initiative, in the course of which it was decided to completely rebuild this station to a design by the architect Albert Wimmer, featuring a transparent roof for the station and its platforms and improved interchange with the U-Bahn

Vienna U-Bahn

The Vienna U-Bahn is a rapid transit system consisting of five lines. It is the backbone of one of the best performing public transport systems worldwide according to UITP in June 2009. More than 1.3 million passengers use the Vienna U-Bahn every day...

, trams and buses. On platform level, the new station was completed in April 2007; prior to that it had been renamed to Wien Praterstern again with the introduction of the new timetable in December 2006.

The new station offers 6,000 m² of space for businesses and service enterprises. Platforms were raised to 55 cm above the trackage to make boarding and disembarkation easier. A tactile orientation system is planned for blind people.

The reconstruction started in 2004 and was completed in April 2008.

Reconstruction of the freight station

The area of the former freight station, no longer needed by the Austrian Federal Railways, is planned to become a new city district. The part on the Lasallestraße was already developed in the 1990s, almost entirely as office buildings. At first, a new line parallel to these blocks is planned, in steps, the area is to be expanded to the northwest. The tram line O is planned to be extended into this area as well. However, the time horizon of this project lies around 2025.