Dresden 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.

Construction

Dresden Hauptbahnhof has 18 tracks. Eleven carry traffic through the station whilst the remaining seven, all from the west and located in the middle of the station, are terminal tracks. This layout makes Dresden Hbf unique among German central railway stations. The station is divided into three halls, the central one of which is the biggest and covers the terminating tracks.

The arrivals hall is situated in front of the terminating tracks giving the station the character of a terminal station. The new 30,000 m² roof, covered by a canopy made from Teflon-coated fibre glass, was designed by Foster and Partners with fabric roof design by Buro Happold and other structural design by Schmitt Stumpf Fruhauf and Partner. The reconstructed building was nominated for the 2006 Stirling Prize and won the 2007 IStructE Award for Heritage Buildings.

History

Dresden Hauptbahnhof is part of the railway system that provides direct connections to Berlin, Prague and Nuremberg. Opening in 1897, it replaced three stations in the south of the city.

The station was damaged by the bombing of Dresden starting in February 1945. This was limited in extent until a specific attack in April...
Read More