Feldkirch railway station
Encyclopedia
Feldkirch railway station serves the city of Feldkirch
, in the Feldkirch district
of the Austria
n federal state
of Vorarlberg
. Opened in 1872, it forms the junction
between the Vorarlberg railway and the Feldkirch–Buchs railway.
The station is owned and operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).
was repeatedly extended from 1884, as the Arlberg railway transformed Feldkirch into an international transport hub.
In the 1960s, the original station building was torn down. In early 1969, the new building was put into operation.
Between 1999 and 2001, the station was renovated and rebuilt again, as part of the ÖBB-Bahnhofsinitiative. The renovation work included replacement of the platforms, the pedestrian underpass and the station building.
In 2010, in a survey conducted by the Verkehrsclub Österreich (VCÖ), the station was nominated by the interviewed passengers as the sixth most beautiful railway station in Austria.
and Villach
. Additionally, Feldkirch is the border station of the line to Buchs
; it is the only Austrian border station adjacent to a non-Schengen
member, namely the Principality of Liechtenstein.
1994, a James Joyce
quote has been on display in the station concourse. It emphasizes the special connection between the Irish writer and the city. Joyce paid a visit to Feldkirch in 1932 to see his friend Eugene Jolas
. During the visit, he famously said to Jolas, "Over there, on those tracks, the fate of Ulysses
was decided in 1915." That is the quote now reproduced, in German translation, in the station concourse.
Joyce had travelled through Feldkirch by train in 1915. Due to World War I
, he had been considered an "enemy alien" in his then home town of Trieste
, which, at that time, was part of Austria-Hungary
. Thanks to influential friends, he had obtained permission to leave Austria-Hungary, with his partner Nora Barnacle and their two shared children, and travel to Zürich
. Meanwhile, his brother Stanislaus Joyce was arrested in Trieste and detained until the end of the war.
During border control checks at Feldkirch, the train on which Joyce and Barnacle were travelling was boarded, and passengers inspected by officials; Joyce escaped arrest by a whisker. If Joyce had been arrested then, he would have been unable to write Ulysses in its present form, and that explains his now famous comment to Jolas.
At the end of 2001, the ÖBB replaced a plaque mounted by the Feldkirch culture circle above the ticket counters on Bloomsday 1994 with a particularly clear and conspicuous presentation of the Joycean literary quotation. The ÖBB has thus contributed significantly to the popularization and dissemination of the previously decades-long hidden incident.
explained that on 24 March 1919 he had been an eye witness at Feldkirch railway station, as Charles I of Austria was deported from the Republic of German Austria
into exile in Switzerland:
This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as at August 2011.
Feldkirch, Vorarlberg
- Schools :* Bundesgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Feldkirch * Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule Feldkirch* Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium und Bundesrealgymnasium Schillerstrasse...
, in the Feldkirch district
Feldkirch (district)
The Bezirk Feldkirch is an administrative district in Vorarlberg, Austria.Area of the district is 278.26 km², population is 98,717 , and population density 350 persons per km²...
of the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n federal state
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...
of Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
. Opened in 1872, it forms the junction
Junction station
Junction station usually refers to a railway station situated or close to a junction where lines to several destinations diverge. The usual minimum is three incoming lines...
between the Vorarlberg railway and the Feldkirch–Buchs railway.
The station is owned and operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).
Location
Feldkirch railway station is situated in Bahnhofplatz, in the northern Feldkirch district of Levis, between the Ardetzenberg and the Känzele.History
The station was opened on 1 July 1872, together with the rest of the Vorarlberg railway. The original station buildingStation building
A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger train station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers.A station building is not to be confused with the station itself...
was repeatedly extended from 1884, as the Arlberg railway transformed Feldkirch into an international transport hub.
In the 1960s, the original station building was torn down. In early 1969, the new building was put into operation.
Between 1999 and 2001, the station was renovated and rebuilt again, as part of the ÖBB-Bahnhofsinitiative. The renovation work included replacement of the platforms, the pedestrian underpass and the station building.
In 2010, in a survey conducted by the Verkehrsclub Österreich (VCÖ), the station was nominated by the interviewed passengers as the sixth most beautiful railway station in Austria.
Services
Feldkirch is one of Vorarlberg's major railway stations. It also serves as a loading station for the motorail train from Feldkirch to Vienna, GrazGraz Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof at Graz, which is both the capital city of the federal state of Styria in Austria, and the second largest city in Austria.- External links :...
and Villach
Villach Hauptbahnhof
Villach Hauptbahnhof is the main station at Villach, the second largest city in the federal state of Carinthia in Austria.- External links :...
. Additionally, Feldkirch is the border station of the line to Buchs
Buchs
- Places :*Buchs, Aargau*Buchs, St. Gallen*Buchs, Zurich*Buchs, Lucerne in the municipality of Dagmarsellen- People :* Emanuel Buchs , Swiss ski mountaineer, cross-country skier and biathlete...
; it is the only Austrian border station adjacent to a non-Schengen
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
member, namely the Principality of Liechtenstein.
James Joyce
Since BloomsdayBloomsday
Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on 16 June in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the life of Irish writer James Joyce and relive the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904...
1994, a James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
quote has been on display in the station concourse. It emphasizes the special connection between the Irish writer and the city. Joyce paid a visit to Feldkirch in 1932 to see his friend Eugene Jolas
Eugene Jolas
John George Eugene Jolas was a writer, translator and literary critic.-Biography:Eugene Jolas was born in Union City, New Jersey, but grew up in Forbach in Elsass-Lothringen , to which his family returned when he was two years old. He spent periods of his adult life living in both the U.S...
. During the visit, he famously said to Jolas, "Over there, on those tracks, the fate of Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
was decided in 1915." That is the quote now reproduced, in German translation, in the station concourse.
Joyce had travelled through Feldkirch by train in 1915. Due to 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...
, he had been considered an "enemy alien" in his then home town of Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, which, at that time, was part 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...
. Thanks to influential friends, he had obtained permission to leave Austria-Hungary, with his partner Nora Barnacle and their two shared children, and travel to Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Meanwhile, his brother Stanislaus Joyce was arrested in Trieste and detained until the end of the war.
During border control checks at Feldkirch, the train on which Joyce and Barnacle were travelling was boarded, and passengers inspected by officials; Joyce escaped arrest by a whisker. If Joyce had been arrested then, he would have been unable to write Ulysses in its present form, and that explains his now famous comment to Jolas.
At the end of 2001, the ÖBB replaced a plaque mounted by the Feldkirch culture circle above the ticket counters on Bloomsday 1994 with a particularly clear and conspicuous presentation of the Joycean literary quotation. The ÖBB has thus contributed significantly to the popularization and dissemination of the previously decades-long hidden incident.
Stefan Zweig
In his memoirs The World of Yesterday (German: Die Welt von Gestern), the Austrian writer Stefan ZweigStefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most famous writers in the world.- Biography :...
explained that on 24 March 1919 he had been an eye witness at Feldkirch railway station, as Charles I of Austria was deported from the Republic of German Austria
German Austria
Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...
into exile in Switzerland:
See also
- History of rail transport in AustriaHistory of rail transport in AustriaThe history of rail transport in Austria began with the Reisszug, a private funicular serving the Fortress of Salzburg. Built at the end of the 15th century and first documented in 1515, it is the oldest known funicular in the world, and possibly the oldest existing railway line.In 1837, following...
- Rail transport in AustriaRail transport in AustriaRail transport in Austria is mainly owned by the national rail company ÖBB. The railway network consists of 6,123 km, its gauge is 1,435 mm and 3,523 km are electrified....
External links
- Nachbaur, Ulrich: Als der Zug langsam in Feldkirch einfuhr - Literary memories of the flight from Austria to Switzerland in early 1938.
This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as at August 2011.