Entrance building of the Worms main station

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Street side
Platform side

The current reception building of the Worms main station is the third reception building of the Worms main station since its establishment in 1853. The listed building was opened on March 31, 1904 and stands out for its extensive building decoration.

History of origin

Worms main station with the Prince's pavilion (left) and the main building (right) in 1910
The fitting on the north door of the reception building states the opening date: " anno 1904 "

initial situation

Worms got its train station in 1853 when the Mainz – Ludwigshafen line was built by the Hessische Ludwigsbahn (HLB), a stock corporation. As the passenger traffic increased, the capacity of the old reception building was no longer sufficient. It was therefore considerably expanded in 1871. 20 years later, the problem arose again: users, the population and, in 1890, the city ​​council called for the station to be expanded further. The HLB hesitated to invest, the city of Worms and local industry pushed for expansion. After various proposals by the HLB, which from the city's point of view fell short or were perceived as disadvantageous for other reasons, a solution emerged at the turn of the year 1894/95: The Grand Duchy of Hesse and the HLB signed a contract for the construction of the Rhine bridge in Worms , the first railway bridge at this point, and the extension of the Worms train station. In 1901 the Rhine Bridge Worms was opened to traffic as the first railway bridge over the Rhine in Worms. This means that all traffic that previously ended at Rosengarten station on the other side of the Rhine was directed to Worms main station. This increased the traffic frequency there by around 15 pairs of passenger trains per day. The new construction of the train station and the reception building became inevitable. In 1895, the HLB presented a plan that ultimately already contained the essential elements that met with the approval of those affected and was finally implemented. First of all, the majority of the track system was rebuilt. This was followed by the construction of the reception building from October 1901. In the meantime, on April 1, 1897, the HLB was absorbed into the Prussian-Hessian Railway Community.

planning

Urban planning aspects

Since space was to be gained for the tracks and platforms, the new building of the reception building was built on the previous station square, on the street side in front of the previous reception building. As a result, the station forecourt was largely built over and was only an extension of Bahnhofsstrasse. Of the two streets that led from the city center at an acute angle to the reception building, Siegfriedstrasse was supposed to be the one that aimed at the main portal. From Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße (today: Wilhelm-Leuschner-Straße), however, only part of the southern wing of the reception building can be seen. Overall, this urban planning solution was unsatisfactory, but priority was given to eliminating the traffic bottleneck that the main station represented for rail traffic and removing the narrow space in the existing station building that hindered travelers. At that time Siegfriedstrasse was an avenue and lined with bourgeois villas. On this visual axis , which form the Siegfriedstrasse and the Berliner Ring , opposite the main entrance of the reception building and about 1.1 km away, is the monumental gateway of the Nibelungen School to the Rhine promenade.

building

The building owner of the new reception building was the Prussian-Hessian Railway Community , in fact the Prussian State Railways . The draft for the station building came about in the following way: The railway created a floor plan with the rooms it needed. Here is Fritz Kling wood from the RWTH Aachen mentioned as author. With regard to the artistic design, the city of Worms urged that Karl Hofmann , former city architect of Worms and now professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt , who had shaped the cityscape at that time, be entrusted with the design. The railway administration agreed and Hofmann introduced the neo-Romanesque style typical of Worms at the time : " For the design of the building, the Romanesque style was chosen in view of the venerable Worms Cathedral ". This draft by Hofmann was worked out into a draft sketch in the Ministry of Public Works in Berlin and passed on to the Mainz Railway Directorate , where first government master builder Albert Erbe , then the government master builder Martin Herrmann from Berlin , worked on the draft. The details of the building were planned by Martin Herrmann from Berlin and the Mainz architect Panthel. Martin Herrmann, supported by the architect Keding, was also in charge of construction . Other construction officials also took part.

Construction work

Construction began in mid-October 1901 and was completed two years later. The new station building was inaugurated on March 31, 1904 and the responsible railway construction department was dissolved. The construction costs for the reception building amounted to 386,000 marks , those of the initial equipment 35,000 marks. 500,000 marks had been earmarked.

Building

building

The front of the building, which is about 110 meters long on Bahnhofstrasse, is dominated by the reception hall, with baggage handling and ticket counters to the north , hand luggage storage to the south and - on the platform side and behind the platform barriers - an arched corridor that gave access to the waiting rooms on the one hand and the platforms on the other . In the north wing of the building there were further service rooms for the railway administration on the ground floor, the station master's service apartment and overnight rooms for train staff on the upper floor . The two waiting rooms, one for the first and second class , and a larger one for the third and fourth class, had ceiling heights that stretched into the first floor of the building. The train station restaurant was also located on the ground floor of the southern wing of the building. On the first floor there was also the landlord's apartment and room for the staff of the train station restaurant.

Building plastic

Historic door to the platform side

The models for the sculptures were made by the sculptor Franz Vlasdek from Mainz-Mombach , while the stone sculptures were made by the companies Schill from Wiesbaden and Hippler & Werner from Worms. In the execution of the reception building - in contrast to buildings for which Karl Hofmann was solely responsible - there are also Art Nouveau influences . The station building is much more ornate than other buildings designed by Hofmann. In contrast to other buildings in Worms, yellowish-white Palatinate sandstone was used for this building instead of red sandstone .

Entrance hall

The gable of the entrance hall, seen from Bahnhofstrasse , was adorned with the Hessian coat of arms and a dragon , which is supposed to symbolize steam power as well as the unified Royal Prussian-Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Company. It was lost in World War II . There is also an impeller to the left of the coat of arms as a symbol for the railway. The year 1903 can also be seen. The station building was completed that year, but the demolition of the old building delayed the official inauguration of the new station until 1904.

The almost 30 meter high entrance hall, built centrally in the station building and parallel to the street axis of Siegfriedstrasse , which leads to the Rhine , represents the "modern" city gate, the transition from the railway to the city. The street-side facade of the entrance building, which is very similar to the Art Nouveau, is through Lavishly adorned stone carvings. They reflect the progress made by the railroad. The facade, completed in 1903, has a few differences to the original design from 1901: It now appears slimmer and also appears to be higher. In the interior of the entrance hall, numerous figure capitals can be seen that depict travelers in a humorous way. The most striking work of art here is the large hall window. The history of transport and traffic is depicted on its arch relief : from left to right you can see a plow pulled by an ox , an old Roman racing car , two men carrying a vine , a camel caravan , a cattle- drawn wagon, a Hanseatic one Merchant's wagons , a sedan chair from the Baroque era , a stagecoach and a train that crossed all of this in the opposite direction . Also located here are other details such as a conductor , the ticket punches or a station master, who with a bell announcing the departure of a train.

Inside the entrance hall were originally ticket and baggage counters and access to the waiting rooms. Round shapes were chosen for the equipment in order to reduce the risk of accidents.

Waiting rooms

The waiting rooms of the main train station in Worms could be reached behind platform barriers and through a hallway with barrel vaults that led to the platform area. The passage was decorated with figures and symbols of the building trade and a drinking water fountain whose water dispenser was a lion's head. The third and fourth class waiting rooms (today there is a fast-food restaurant ) were furnished with a wooden beam ceiling , built-in benches and a frieze with scenes from the transport sector. In the third and fourth grade waiting rooms, as in the hall window, there were reliefs that symbolized the history of traffic. On the walls of the first and second class waiting rooms there were scenes from the Nibelungen saga , including Siegfried and Kriemhild , Nibelungenhort , Brünhild and Kriemhild and “Siegfried's Death”. In addition, the waiting rooms were equipped with barrel vaults and a large chandelier . The station restaurant, which can be reached directly from here, was decorated with a carved wooden ceiling and a frieze with animal and plant motifs.

Prince's pavilion

Fürstenbahnhof Pavilion
Construction details on the Prince's pavilion: door handle
Construction details on the Prince's Pavilion: wall tile

The prince's pavilion forms the southern end of the reception building, structurally connected to the main building, but set apart as a structure . The gable relief depicts homage by the estates, while the arch relief depicts war scenes from the Nibelungenlied . The figures on the facade facing Bahnhofstrasse are the former city architect Karl Hofmann with the Prince's pavilion in hand (inspired by the south portal of the Worms Cathedral) and a railway worker who announces trains with a bell. By the end of the monarchy in 1918, not only the Grand Duke of Hesse , but also the Prussian King and German Emperor and the Russian Tsar came to Worms.

The building ensemble also includes a separate, separate building for the railway post , which is located south of the reception building.

Another story

The Second World War caused considerable damage to Worms main station, but the station building suffered only relatively minor damage. When the entrance hall was modernized in the 1960s, the hall window, the entrance doors, the station clock in the hall window and the curved canopy were renewed in the simple forms of the time. The dragon on the gable was removed during World War II. The barrel vault of the main hall was painted dark and optically transformed into a flat ceiling by a screen.

1994–1996 the interior of the Prince's Pavilion, the interior fittings, paneling and doors of which were almost completely preserved, was restored.

The changes to the main hall in the 1960s were reversed with a renewed renovation in 1996. The building sculpture was preserved, but the original painting was lost. The main hall today gives access to a travel center operated by DB Sales , a bakery, a magazine shop, a fast food restaurant and a federal police station .

meaning

The station building, like the neighboring former railway post building, is now a listed building .

literature

Web links

Commons : Entrance building of the Worms main station  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Built from 1897 to 1900 (Fritz Reuter: Karl Hofmann and “das neue Worms”. Urban development and municipal construction 1882–1918 . P. 258 . ).
  2. ↑ The structure of the station building was completed in autumn 1903, which is why “Anno 1903” can be read on the facade below the Hessian coat of arms. However, the old station building had to be demolished, a platform erected there and the associated tracks laid, which lasted until spring 1904 (Fritz Reuter: Karl Hofmann and “das neue Worms”. Urban development and municipal construction 1882–1918 . P. 256 . ). That is why you can read “anno 1904” on a door fitting on the north side of the building.
  3. ↑ Reuter: Karl Hofmann and "the new Worms". Urban development and municipal construction 1882–1918 , p. 255, gives - incorrectly - April 1, 1904.
  4. ↑ For example the Worms water tower , the Nibelungen school or the Neusatz school .
  5. ↑ The lion is the Hessian heraldic animal (see: here ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (ed.): Informational directory of cultural monuments - district-free city of Worms. Mainz 2020, p. 5 (PDF; 5.0 MB).
  2. ↑ a b c d Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 43 .
  3. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 21 .
  4. ↑ a b c d NN: The opening , p. 440.
  5. ^ Fritz Reuter: Karl Hofmann and "the new Worms. Stadtentwicklung und Kommunalbau 1882–1918 “ = Sources and research on Hessian history 91. Hessian Historical Commission Darmstadt and Historical Commission for Hesse , Darmstadt and Marburg 1993. ISBN 3-88443-180-3 , p. 252.
  6. ↑ a b c d e Fritz Reuter: Karl Hofmann and "the new Worms". Urban development and municipal construction 1882–1918 . S. 255 .
  7. ↑ Fritz Reuter : Karl Hofmann and "the new Worms": Urban development and municipal building 1882–1918 = sources and research on Hessian history 91. Hessian Historical Commission Darmstadt and Historical Commission for Hesse . ISBN 3-88443-180-3 , p. 442, note 149.
  8. ↑ Martin Herrmann: The new station building at Worms station . In: Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 56 (1906), column 1 f.
  9. ↑ a b c d Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 44 .
  10. ↑ Martin Herrmann: The new station building at Worms station . In: Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 56 (1906), Sp. 9 f.
  11. ↑ a b Martin Herrmann: The new station building at Worms station . In: Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 56 (1906), Col. 3.
  12. ^ Eisenbahndirektion Mainz (Ed.): Official Gazette of the Royal Prussian and Grand Ducal Hessian Railway Directorate in Mainz of March 26, 1904, No. 15. Announcements, p. 188.
  13. ↑ Martin Herrmann: The new station building at Worms station . In: Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 56 (1906), Sp. 10.
  14. ↑ See: Tobias Möllmer : The Villa Engelhorn in Mannheim. Work of art, family house, architectural monument. Worms 2012, p. 96.
  15. ↑ a b c Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 45 .
  16. ^ Fritz Reuter: Karl Hofmann and "the new Worms". Urban development and municipal construction 1882–1918 . S. 258 .
  17. ↑ a b Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 42 .
  18. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 53 .
  19. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 54 .
  20. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 55 .
  21. ↑ Martin Herrmann: The new station building at Worms station . In: Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 56 (1906), Sp. 5 f.
  22. ↑ Martin Herrmann: The new station building at Worms station . In: Zeitschrift für Bauwesen 56 (1906), Col. 7.
  23. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 58 .
  24. ↑ a b Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 60 .
  25. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 61 .
  26. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 50 .
  27. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 164 .
  28. ^ A b c Paul-Georg Custodis and Joachim Glatz: Profitability and History. Station conversions in Koblenz, Mainz and Worms . Mainz 2004, ISBN 3-8053-3386-2 , p. 68 .
  29. ^ Paul-Georg Custodis and Joachim Glatz: Profitability and History. Station conversions in Koblenz, Mainz and Worms . Mainz 2004, ISBN 3-8053-3386-2 , p. 69 .
  30. ↑ Ralph Häussler: Railways in Worms - From the Ludwig Railway to the Rhineland-Palatinate Clock . Edition Schwarz & Weiss, 2003, ISBN 3-935651-10-4 , pp. 173 .
  31. ↑ Irene Spille (arrangement): City of Worms (=  cultural monuments in Rhineland-Palatinate. Monument topography of the Federal Republic of Germany . Volume 10 ). Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Worms 1992, ISBN 3-88462-084-3 , p. 78 f .

Coordinates: 49 ° 38 ′ 5.1 ″  N , 8 ° 21 ′ 24.6 ″  E