Praha Masarykovo nádraží

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Praha Masarykovo nádraží
Current main facade on Havlíčková ulice (in the background the original arrival building, in the foreground on the right the building of the former train station restaurant)
Current main facade on Havlíčková ulice (in the background the original arrival building, in the foreground on the right the building of the former train station restaurant)
Data
Operating point type railway station
Design Terminus
Platform tracks 7th
IBNR 5400206
opening August 20, 1845
Architectural data
Architectural style Empire style
location
City / municipality Prague
Place / district Prague New Town
Country Czech Republic
Coordinates 50 ° 5 '16 "  N , 14 ° 25' 59"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 5 '16 "  N , 14 ° 25' 59"  E
Railway lines
List of train stations in the Czech Republic
i8 i16 i16 i18

Praha Masarykovo nádraží is an important regional train station and former long-distance train station in Prague at the addresses Hybernská 1014/13 and Havlíčkova 1028/5. It was built in 1844/45 as part of the Imperial and Royal Northern State Railway from Olomouc , which was continuously in operation from Vienna to Dresden until 1851 . Today the station is the only terminus in Prague. It bears the name of the first President of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk .

Station name

  • 1845–1862 Praha / Prague
  • 1862–1919 Praha státní nádraží / Prague State Railway Station
  • 1919–1940 Praha Masarykovo nádraží (meaning: "Prague Masarykbahnhof")
  • 1940–1945 Praha Hybernské nádraží / Prague Hibernerbahnhof
  • 1945–1952 Praha Masarykovo nádraží
  • January 1, 1953–1990 Praha střed (meaning: "Prague center")
  • since March 1990 Praha Masarykovo nádraží

history

Nádraží Praha 1848
main building
View of the platforms

Praha Masarykovo nádraží station is considered to be the oldest station in Prague. Only today's Praha-Dejvice station contests this rank, which was built in 1831 as the terminus of the Prague-Lana horse-drawn tram , but at that time was outside the urban area of ​​Prague. When it was built, it was one of the largest in Europe.

The location for the layout of the train station and the tracks was chosen based on a proposal by the railway pioneer Jan Perner . The station was built in Empire style by the Lanna and Klein brothers in 1844 and 1845 .

The first (unofficial) train arrived on August 4, 1845. The opening ceremonies began on August 20th, and scheduled train operations began on September 1st. At that time there was another stop in Běchovice . The Prague – Běchovice line was double-track, the rest of the connection was only single-track.

The station was within the Prague ramparts. These were initially provided with seven lockable gates - one for each track. Only in 1874 were the ramparts demolished in this area of ​​the city.

Starting June 1, 1850, the railway line was extended from this station via Holešovice to Bodenbach (now Děčín) and on April 6, 1851 to Dresden .

At the eastern end of the station there was another station, Hrabovka. From 1872 there were connecting arches from there to the Prague train stations Smíchov , Vyšehrad and today's main train station.

Until the opening of the long-distance station Holešovice in 1985, the Masarykovo nádraží station was the terminus for trains from Berlin and Dresden. It was also the direction change station for trains on the Berlin-Dresden-Prague-Vienna route.

Future of the train station

There were several considerations to close the station. In addition to shunting trains in a terminus station, the main reason for this was the fact that the Prague railway junction was divided into two parts, which for a long time were not connected to one another in a satisfactory manner either by rail or inner-city traffic.

Nové spojení in the Florenc district of Prague ; on the right in the background the terminus station Praha Masarykovo nádraží
West concourse (on Havlíčkova ulice)
Railway station area - in the background the old town
View over the tracks to the station building

The Nové spojení (German New Connection ) project, which was gradually put into operation from 2009 , reorganized the routing of rail traffic from the north and northeast of the country to Prague and which was completed in 2010, continues to count on the continued existence of this station. There was also a direct connection between the Praha Masarykovo nádraží and Praha-Vysočany train stations .

It is also planned to accommodate the locomotive collection of the National Technical Museum in the existing halls of the boiler house .

In place of neglected track systems, engine sheds and the freight station, České dráhy (ČD) will have hotels, residential and commercial buildings built through a subsidiary. The passenger station is to be reconstructed. ČD rejected rumors about the closure of the station and its transformation into a shopping center. These were created after the Prague politician and former mayor of Prague 1, Jan Mayor, sought to abolish the train station and convert the reception building into a commercial gallery.

The location of the train station

Originally the main facade was on Hybernská ulice, parallel to the railway tracks, today it is more of a side entrance. The station concourse at the end of the tracks borders directly on Havlíčkova ulice, there is also a tram stop. From the station there is also direct access to the Náměstí Republiky Metro Station on Line B of the Prague Metro . The square of the same name is located west of the train station.

The main train station further south and the Florenc bus station are also accessible for pedestrians.

The buildings

Main entrance
Counter room in the south wing (on Hybernská ulice)
Connecting corridor between the south and west wings

Originally the station consisted of two separate buildings, the two-storey departure building in Hybernská ulice and the two-storey arrival building at the intersection of Ulice Na Florenci / Havlíčkova ulice. The roofed hall in between with its cast-iron girders dates from 1862. In 1869 the building of the station restaurant on the corner of Hybernská ulice and Havlíčkova ulice was added.

The buildings and the roof were built in the style of the late Empire and the beginning neo-renaissance or classicism.

Further extensions followed in 1893–94 and considerable renovations in 1938–45. The construction of the subway also required extensive renovations. During the renovations in the 1990s, attempts were made to restore the station to its original appearance as much as possible: some later additions were torn down, and the remaining parts were renewed and renovated.

Track systems

When the station was built, Prague was still a fortress. Only part of the station was within the city limits.

The Prague part of the station originally had three tracks for passenger traffic. Three more tracks were provided for freight traffic, and their number was later increased to five. Behind the walls were the parking facilities for wagons, heating systems, locomotive sheds, engine rooms and storage rooms.

Since the track system was rebuilt in 1932, the station has had four platforms, the first of which, in the north, gives access to one track, and the other three have two tracks each. Access to the platforms is via a covered area between the station restaurant and the departure building. The tracks are numbered from 1 to 7.

Rail traffic to and from Masaryk station today

Today the station is used solely for passenger traffic. The trains departing from here run on Czech Railways' 011, 091, 120 and 231 routes . These are in detail:

Since December 9, 2007, parts of these lines have been operated as Esko Prague . Four of the nine main lines from the surrounding area end at Masarykovo nádraží. Due to the low capacity of the station, including parking spaces, some trains on these routes - especially in the daytime connections - end or start at other Prague stations.

Web links

Commons : Praha Masarykovo nádraží  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. http://www.radio.cz/de/artikel/107163
  2. Archived copy ( memento of the original dated November 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.czech.cz