Bad Hersfeld station
Encyclopedia
Bad Hersfeld station is a through station in Bad Hersfeld
in the German state of Hesse
on the Bebra–Fulda railway. The first station was opened in 1866 and the current station building was completed in 1883. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn
as a category 3 station
. It is a stop for Intercity-Express and Intercity
services and is a public transport node for northern Hesse.
Since 2006, Cantus Verkehrsgesellschaf has operated regional services on the Fulda–Bad Hersfeld–Kassel
route.
of 1866. The subsequent annexation of Hesse-Kassel
by Prussia
meant that the temporary station served for 17 years.
The current station building was opened in 1883 and was designed by the architect Paul Rowald, who worked at this time in the civil engineering office of the railway division
of Frankfurt.
The building is a two-storey sandstone building in the Romanesque Revival
style. The floors are separated by a cornice
, which runs around the entire building. The sandstone for the station came from a quarry near Jossa
. The station building has a rectangular central block, with a risalit
at the centre of the facade on the station forecourt. This has a gable
which is accented by a cornice. The station clock is installed in the gable. The risalit contains the main entrance at ground level, in the form of a circular arch, the distinguishing characteristic of Romanesque buildings. This form appears in all the ground floor windows and in the windows in the gables. On both sides of this central block are two symetrical wings, which slightly protrude from the central block both at the front and at the rear. These have the same architectural style as the central block and have high gables.
Rowald took the Romanesque style elements from the architecture of existing medieval buildings in the old town of Hersfeld, for example from the ruins of the Romanesque abbey, without copying their individual elements (Gelnhausen station, which was also designed by Rowald, has a similar design). Rowald drew heavily on the Romanesque style in the shape of the window on the ground floor, the window frames with their half-columns and capitals and the arched windows in the gables. The tops of the gable with adorned with finials; these are borrowed from Gothic architecture
.
On the south side there is a one-story building that was built in 1908 that matched the style of the main building. This building was rebuilt in 1957 as a pavilion with a hipped roof. The station restaurant was located in this building until 2005.
The exterior of the station has been preserved largely unchanged, but the interior of the building has been rebuilt several times and the floor plan has been changed. This occurred most recently between 2005 and 2008. During this time, the station and the pedestrian underpass were upgraded and redesigned. In 2008, the Federation of German Architects (Bund Deutscher Architekten) gave the participating developers, the town of Bad Hersfeld, the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (North Hessian Transport Association), Deutsche Bahn and the architects involved the Simon-Louis-du-Ry-Plakette architectural prize.
– Leipzig
– Erfurt
– Eisenach
– Bad Hersfeld – Fulda – Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof
/Frankfurt South – Frankfurt Airport (– Wiesbaden
) every 2 hours Bebra
– Bad Hersfeld – Fulda - Hanau
- Frankfurt Kassel
– Bebra – Bad Hersfeld – Fulda Göttingen – Eschwege – Bebra (– Bad Hersfeld – Fulda)
Bad Hersfeld
The festival and spa town of Bad Hersfeld is the district seat of Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany, roughly 50 km southeast of Kassel....
in the German 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...
on the Bebra–Fulda railway. The first station was opened in 1866 and the current station building was completed in 1883. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn
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...
as a category 3 station
German railway station categories
About 5,400 railway stations in Germany that are owned and operated by the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Station&Service are assigned into seven categories, denoting the service level available at the station....
. It is a stop for Intercity-Express and Intercity
Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)
Intercity is the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany, and routes generally operate with a two-hour frequency, with multiple routes giving a more...
services and is a public transport node for northern Hesse.
Since 2006, Cantus Verkehrsgesellschaf has operated regional services on the Fulda–Bad Hersfeld–Kassel
Kassel Hauptbahnhof
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...
route.
Station Buildings
At the opening of the line between Bebra and Bad Hersfeld on 22 January 1866, a station building was built, only as a temporary measure, known as the Bude (shack). This building was later extended and still exists made of wood shingles south of the current station building. Its temporary nature was obviously a result of the Austro-Prussian WarAustro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
of 1866. The subsequent annexation of Hesse-Kassel
Hesse-Kassel
The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the...
by Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
meant that the temporary station served for 17 years.
The current station building was opened in 1883 and was designed by the architect Paul Rowald, who worked at this time in the civil engineering office of the railway division
Railway divisions in Germany
In Germany and Austria, the running of railway services for a railway administration or the regional network of a large railway company was devolved to railway divisions, variously known as Eisenbahndirektionen , Bundesbahndirektionen or Reichsbahndirektionen ...
of Frankfurt.
The building is a two-storey sandstone building in the Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
style. The floors are separated by a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, which runs around the entire building. The sandstone for the station came from a quarry near Jossa
Jossa
Jossa is a village in the German municipality of Sinntal in Main-Kinzig-Kreis in the state of Hesse. Jossa lies within the Spessart nature park and is a state-recognised health resort. The village has 664 inhabitants and covers an area of . Its councillor is Günter Walther ....
. The station building has a rectangular central block, with a risalit
Risalit
A risalit, from the Italian risalto for "projection", is a German term which refers to a part of a building that juts out, usually over the full height of the building. In English the French term avant-corps is sometimes used. It is common in façades in the baroque period.A corner risalit is where...
at the centre of the facade on the station forecourt. This has a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
which is accented by a cornice. The station clock is installed in the gable. The risalit contains the main entrance at ground level, in the form of a circular arch, the distinguishing characteristic of Romanesque buildings. This form appears in all the ground floor windows and in the windows in the gables. On both sides of this central block are two symetrical wings, which slightly protrude from the central block both at the front and at the rear. These have the same architectural style as the central block and have high gables.
Rowald took the Romanesque style elements from the architecture of existing medieval buildings in the old town of Hersfeld, for example from the ruins of the Romanesque abbey, without copying their individual elements (Gelnhausen station, which was also designed by Rowald, has a similar design). Rowald drew heavily on the Romanesque style in the shape of the window on the ground floor, the window frames with their half-columns and capitals and the arched windows in the gables. The tops of the gable with adorned with finials; these are borrowed from Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
.
On the south side there is a one-story building that was built in 1908 that matched the style of the main building. This building was rebuilt in 1957 as a pavilion with a hipped roof. The station restaurant was located in this building until 2005.
The exterior of the station has been preserved largely unchanged, but the interior of the building has been rebuilt several times and the floor plan has been changed. This occurred most recently between 2005 and 2008. During this time, the station and the pedestrian underpass were upgraded and redesigned. In 2008, the Federation of German Architects (Bund Deutscher Architekten) gave the participating developers, the town of Bad Hersfeld, the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (North Hessian Transport Association), Deutsche Bahn and the architects involved the Simon-Louis-du-Ry-Plakette architectural prize.
Services
South of the station forecourt is the Bad Hersfeld bus station for regional and local bus routes. Five interurban routes are operated by ÜWAG buses. Six other interurban routes are operated by RKH. Outside the station forecourt there is also a taxi rank and short stay parking. There is a Park & Ride facility on the opposite side of the tracks, which is connected by an underground passage with the platforms and the station building. Platform 1 is at ground level; in 2008, the underpass to tracks 2 and 3 and the Park & Ride car park was provided with lifts to provide barrier-free access for the disabled. In the hall there is a ServicePoint and since the end of 2008 a DB Service Store.Long distance and regional services
DresdenDresden Hauptbahnhof
is one of two main inter-city transit hubs in the German city of Dresden. Designed by Ernst Giese and Paul Weidner, it was built between 1892 and 1897 at the southern border of the inner city and was important in the growth and development of the city....
– Leipzig
Leipzig Hauptbahnhof
is, at 83,460 m², Europe's largest railway station when measured by floor area. It has 24 platforms housed in six iron trainsheds; a multi-level concourse with towering stone arches; and a 293 metre-long facade...
– Erfurt
Erfurt Hauptbahnhof
is 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...
– Eisenach
Eisenach station
Eisenach Station is the main station of the city of Eisenach in the German state of Thuringia. It is a transportation hub, located on the Thuringian Railway Halle–Bebra and at the Werra Railway .Eisenach station is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 3 station.-Facilities :Facilities...
– Bad Hersfeld – Fulda – Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
is 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...
/Frankfurt South – Frankfurt Airport (– Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Wiesbaden, the state capital of the German state of Hesse. It is a terminal station at the southern edge of the city center and is served by over 500 long-distance and regional trains and used by more than 30,000 travelers each day.-History:The current station...
) every 2 hours Bebra
Bebra station
Bebra 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...
– Bad Hersfeld – Fulda - Hanau
Hanau Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for Hanau, Germany and a major rail junction east of Frankfurt am Main.The first Hanau station was built on the Frankfurt-Hanau Railway at the location of the current Hanau West station, close to Hanau city centre....
- Frankfurt Kassel
Kassel Hauptbahnhof
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...
– Bebra – Bad Hersfeld – Fulda Göttingen – Eschwege – Bebra (– Bad Hersfeld – Fulda)