Göttingen railway station
Encyclopedia
Göttingen railway station, known in German
as Bahnhof Göttingen, is an InterCityExpress
stop on Germany's domestic long-distance rail
network and the only passenger station of the city of Göttingen
. Built in 1854 as the terminus of the Hanoverian Southern Railway, the station lies west of the medieval town centre. The station today has four platform islands each with two through tracks. In addition there is a through track for goods traffic between the station building and the platforms.
In the course of planning for the building of the Hanoverian Southern Railway (Hannover Südbahn) the municipal authorities of the city decided in 1851 to request the building of a station west of the city center. The building was designed by Adolf Funk, Conrad Wilhelm Hase and Julius Rasch; the construction was supervised by Emil Hackländer. The foundation stone was laid in 1853, the inauguration was on 31 July 1854. The station was modelled after Hannover station in natural stone and in the "Hannoverschen Rundbogenstil" architectural style. The Südbahn opened Alfeld- Göttingen in 1854. In 1856 it extended to Kassel
, where it connected initially via the former Dransfelder incline. Starting from 1867 the Bebra-Göttingen section via Eichenberg was built, in 1876 it reached Bebra and Eichenberg was connected to Kassel. The station building in Göttingen was completed between 1856 and 1887 and converted several times. At the beginning of the 20th Century the station forecourt was re-arranged. In the summer palms were set up, which shaped the appearance of the station up to the Second World War. Another change of the station layout took place 1908 to 1910. The tracks were elevated and an underpass of the Groner Chaussee was built south the station. In addition, reception building was converted and extended.
In the Second World War the station was to a large extent destroyed by bomb attacks. The station and station hall were redeveloped in the post-war period in simplified form; the front was transformed. From 1963 Göttingen was connected to the electrified route network. In the 1960s the station forecourt was again converted to the requirements of motor traffic. Starting from 1991 Göttingen became an InterCityExpress
station, on the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line. In the 1990s the station forecourt was rebuilt yet again, with a pergola and a covered bicycle park directly beside the station building. Nevertheless the station forecourt is still crowded with bicycles. Since 2000 a three-stage reorganization of the station has been underway. Extensive changes began at the end of 2006, among other things the entire entrance hall of the station was reconditioned and a fast food
chain opened here. The 13.8 million euro
project was completed at the end of March 2007
cinema and multipurpose hall for conferences and events with 5,400 m ² of meeting space and 3,000 m ² of lobby area. A locomotive overhaul centre was set up here in 1855. The continuation of the route from Hannoversch Munden over the Dransfelder Incline required stronger locomotives for the steep gradients: these were stored and repaired in the Göttingen works. The buildings of the locomotive depot date from 1917. After 1976 the works were closed, the area lay vacant for two decades and although listed in 1981 by the Niedersächsische Institut für Baudenkmalpflege at first no profitable re-use was adopted. In 1993 plans for re-use led to the multiplex cinema opening in the northern part of the plant in 1996, the meeting hall in the southern end opened in December 1998.
and Duderstadt
.
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....
as Bahnhof Göttingen, is an InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
stop on Germany's domestic long-distance rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
network and the only passenger station of the city of Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. Built in 1854 as the terminus of the Hanoverian Southern Railway, the station lies west of the medieval town centre. The station today has four platform islands each with two through tracks. In addition there is a through track for goods traffic between the station building and the platforms.
History
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 :...
, where it connected initially via the former Dransfelder incline. Starting from 1867 the Bebra-Göttingen section via Eichenberg was built, in 1876 it reached Bebra and Eichenberg was connected to Kassel. The station building in Göttingen was completed between 1856 and 1887 and converted several times. At the beginning of the 20th Century the station forecourt was re-arranged. In the summer palms were set up, which shaped the appearance of the station up to the Second World War. Another change of the station layout took place 1908 to 1910. The tracks were elevated and an underpass of the Groner Chaussee was built south the station. In addition, reception building was converted and extended.
In the Second World War the station was to a large extent destroyed by bomb attacks. The station and station hall were redeveloped in the post-war period in simplified form; the front was transformed. From 1963 Göttingen was connected to the electrified route network. In the 1960s the station forecourt was again converted to the requirements of motor traffic. Starting from 1991 Göttingen became an InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
station, on the Hanover–Würzburg high-speed line. In the 1990s the station forecourt was rebuilt yet again, with a pergola and a covered bicycle park directly beside the station building. Nevertheless the station forecourt is still crowded with bicycles. Since 2000 a three-stage reorganization of the station has been underway. Extensive changes began at the end of 2006, among other things the entire entrance hall of the station was reconditioned and a fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
chain opened here. The 13.8 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
project was completed at the end of March 2007
Train service
The station is served by the following services:- Intercity Express (ICE 11) Berlin - Braunschweig - Göttingen - Frankfurt (Main) - Stuttgart - München
- Intercity Express (ICE 12) Berlin - Braunschweig - Göttingen - Frankfurt (Main) - Karlsruhe - Basel - Bern/Zurich
- Intercity Express (ICE 20) Hamburg - Hannover - Göttingen - Frankfurt (Main) - Karlsruhe - Basel - Bern/Zurich
- Intercity Express (ICE 22) Hamburg - Hannover - Göttingen - Frankfurt (Main) - Stuttgart
- Intercity Express (ICE 25) Bremen/Hamburg - Hannover - Göttingen - Würzburg - München
- Intercity service (IC 26) Binz - Stralsund - Rostock - Hamburg - Hannover - Göttingen - Frankfurt (Main) - Karlsruhe
- Intercity service (IC 26) Westerland (Sylt) - Hamburg - Hannover - Göttingen
- D-train Nürnberg - Würzburg - Göttingen - Hannover - Hamburg
- regional express Göttingen - Erfurt - Jena - Gera - Altenburg
- regional express Göttingen - Erfurt - Jena - Gera - Zwickau
- regional service Göttingen - Northeim - Nordhausen
- regional service Göttingen - Northeim - Goslar - Bad Harzburg
- regional service Ottbergen - Bodenfelde - Göttingen
- Metronom regional express Uelzen - Hannover - Hildesheim - Göttingen
- CantusCantus VerkehrsgesellschaftCantus Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH , based in Kassel is a joint subsidiary of Hessische Landesbahn and Hamburger Hochbahn . The word cantus...
regional service Göttingen - Eichenberg - Kassel - Cantus regional service Göttingen - Eichenberg - Bebra (- Eisenach/Fulda)
Locomotive shed
On the opposite side of the station, this historical industrial monument now accommodates a large multiplexMultiplex (movie theater)
A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens, typically three or more. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into smaller ones, or more auditoriums are added in an...
cinema and multipurpose hall for conferences and events with 5,400 m ² of meeting space and 3,000 m ² of lobby area. A locomotive overhaul centre was set up here in 1855. The continuation of the route from Hannoversch Munden over the Dransfelder Incline required stronger locomotives for the steep gradients: these were stored and repaired in the Göttingen works. The buildings of the locomotive depot date from 1917. After 1976 the works were closed, the area lay vacant for two decades and although listed in 1981 by the Niedersächsische Institut für Baudenkmalpflege at first no profitable re-use was adopted. In 1993 plans for re-use led to the multiplex cinema opening in the northern part of the plant in 1996, the meeting hall in the southern end opened in December 1998.
Gartetalbahn
Between 1897 and 1959 somewhat southeast of Göttingen Station was a station of 750 mm narrow-gauge railway, the Gartetalbahn to RittmarshausenRittmarshausen
Rittmarshausen is a nucleated village in the municipality Gleichen in the district Göttingen, Germany. The village of 776 residents is primarily agricultural and home of people working in Göttingen...
and Duderstadt
Duderstadt
Duderstadt is a city in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district of Göttingen. It is the center and capital of the northern part of the Eichsfeld...
.
Literature
- Jens-Uwe Brinkmann: Auf Schienen durch die Zeit. Der Göttinger Bahnhof von der Hannoverschen Südbahn bis zum Ende des Dampfzeitalters. Göttingen 1998
- Günther Siedbürger: Die Lokhalle und ihre Eisenbahner. Göttingen 1995, ISBN 3-926920-14-9