Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe railway station
Encyclopedia
Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe is a railway station in the city of Kassel
, in the German
state of Hesse
. It is the city's most important railway station, as it is connected to the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, with InterCityExpress
services calling at the station.
began constructing the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, Kassel originally was not supposed to have a station on the line at all. However, out of political consideration, it was decided that Göttingen
, Fulda
and Kassel should get stations on the line. The first two were rather easy to connect, but Kassel posed a unique problem, namely its main station, Kassel Hauptbahnhof
, being a terminal station
.
Options were discussed, among them the remodeling of Kassel's main station and the construction of an entirely new station, eventually deciding for the latter. On 13 November 1981 construction of the high speed rail line started on Hesse
territory, and it was decided to erect the station in the Kassel borough of Bad Wilhelmshöhe, construction starting later that year.
On 29 May 1991 the rail line was opened, and the station was opened the same day. Due to German reunification
, outlook for the station was good.
All northbound and southbound InterCityExpress
services call at the station, with the exception of ICE Sprinter trains. An ICE connection also exists on the line to Erfurt
and Altenbeken
/ Dortmund
. Regional services are offered to Frankfurt Hbf
, Hagen
, Erfurt
, Bad Hersfeld
, Korbach
and Kassel Hauptbahnhof
where regional trains depart for Göttingen
and Halle
among others.
The station is also served by two lines of the new RegioTram system, the new light rail system of Kassel. These two lines terminate at Treysa
or Melsungen
respectively.
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 :...
, in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
. It is the city's most important railway station, as it is connected to the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, with 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...
services calling at the station.
History
When the Deutsche BundesbahnDeutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
began constructing the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, Kassel originally was not supposed to have a station on the line at all. However, out of political consideration, it was decided that 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:...
, Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
and Kassel should get stations on the line. The first two were rather easy to connect, but Kassel posed a unique problem, namely its main station, Kassel Hauptbahnhof
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...
, being a terminal station
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
.
Options were discussed, among them the remodeling of Kassel's main station and the construction of an entirely new station, eventually deciding for the latter. On 13 November 1981 construction of the high speed rail line started on 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...
territory, and it was decided to erect the station in the Kassel borough of Bad Wilhelmshöhe, construction starting later that year.
On 29 May 1991 the rail line was opened, and the station was opened the same day. Due to German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
, outlook for the station was good.
Trivia
- Due to its open construction and the stilted roof spanning the tram stop, the station is colloquially known as Palast der tausend Winde (GermanGerman languageGerman 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....
for Palace of the Thousand Winds).
Operational usage
| In brief | |
|---|---|
| Trains (daily): |
600 (not including tramway) |
All northbound and southbound 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...
services call at the station, with the exception of ICE Sprinter trains. An ICE connection also exists on the line to Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
and Altenbeken
Altenbeken
Altenbeken is a municipality in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Altenbeken is situated in the Eggegebirge, approx. 15 km northeast of Paderborn...
/ Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
. Regional services are offered to Frankfurt Hbf
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...
, Hagen
Hagen Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Hagen in western Germany. It is an important rail hub for the southeastern Ruhr area, offering regional and long distance connections....
, Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, Bad Hersfeld
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....
, Korbach
Korbach
Korbach is the district seat of Waldeck-Frankenberg in northern Hesse, Germany. It is over a thousand years old and a former Hanseatic town. It is located on the German Framework Road.- Geography and geology :...
and Kassel Hauptbahnhof
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...
where regional trains depart for Göttingen
Göttingen railway station
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...
and Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
among others.
The station is also served by two lines of the new RegioTram system, the new light rail system of Kassel. These two lines terminate at Treysa
Treysa station
Treysa railway station is a train station in Schwalmstadt, Hesse on the Main-Weser Railway. It was formerly a railway junction, connecting to the Leinefelde–Treysa section of the Cannons Railway .The station is frequented by 2,500 passengers daily....
or Melsungen
Melsungen
Melsungen is a small climatic spa in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany.-Geography:Melsungen lies on the river Fulda in the North Hesse Highland. The brooks Pfieffe and Kehrenbach flow into the Fulda here...
respectively.