Westbahnhof (Braunschweig)

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Aerial photo of the area around Westbahnhof from 1940 on a container on the industrial path on Hugo-Lutter-Strasse.
Information board on the urban renewal project at the newly created youth square with skater hall, on the right an allotment garden.
A preserved loading gauge on the former railway line in front of the birch grove.

The Westbahnhof was an industrial station on the Ringbahn in the western part of the city of Braunschweig that was used until the 1980s and has been the name of an urban renewal project in the entire area surrounding the station since 2007. Under the title "Culture - Business - Leisure", the conditions for the local businesses were improved with the help of European funds, and green and recreational areas were created and used for social facilities such as a youth park, a multi-generation park and a "garden without borders". Soon after the line was closed, the former railway line was converted into a pedestrian and cycle path and an open-air museum.

history

Ringbahn

The Westbahnhof was created when the Braunschweigische Landes-Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft was founded in 1884 and opened up a flourishing industrial area in the southwest of the city center. In addition to the metalworking industry, which is already very well represented, other transport-intensive businesses such as the timber trade and sugar industry settled along the railway line. The station was later used exclusively for freight traffic and had extensive track areas for shunting and parking the wagons. It was connected to the former main station via the Ringbahn , the Ostbahnhof located at the location of today's main station, the freight station in Gliesmarode and the Nordbahnhof located on Taubenstrasse and via a separate route to the north and south of today's Lower Saxony.

After its destruction in World War II, a new makeshift building was built. With the construction of a new freight yard at today's main station and the declining need for its own sidings in later years, the Ringbahn lost its importance and was finally shut down in 1986. Various businesses settled in the vicinity of the Westbahnhof, some of whom only used the old industrial wasteland and contributed little to a new building culture. The railway area overgrown and the birch grove that still exists today was created.

Reuse

A former pedestrian bridge now serves as a viewing platform over the ring track .

As early as 1995 there were suggestions from committed citizens to use the industrial wasteland for recreational purposes, from which the Braunschweig Ringbahn ultimately developed.

The entire western ring area was included in the federal social city project in 2001, which, in addition to measures for housing development, also included the design of public spaces. From 2007, funding from the European Regional Development Fund was applied for and approved specifically for the improvement of the surroundings of the former Westbahnhof . The entire measure was carried out with strong citizen participation, which manifested itself in a renovation advisory board and included numerous existing facilities such as the multi-generation house , the Schwedenheim family center, cultural workers and the district home maintenance. A quarter management was set up in the multi-generation house for coordination. By 2014, the key measures had been implemented and presented to the public on October 30, 2015 on the entire site with a “WESTival”.

Urban renewal project

Excerpt from an information board from the city of Braunschweig on the urban renewal project.
One of five steel constructions with information boards - here on the ring railway and the ring track.
The Kontorhaus am Jödebrunnen at the WESTival 2015.

Infrastructure improvement

The existing Büchnerstraße industrial area was connected to Pippelweg via a new access road, making it easier to reach from the main urban roads and through residential areas without traffic. The settlement of further companies was encouraged. A residential area has been designated and developed between Blumenstrasse and Helenenstrasse.

Youth area and skater hall

A youth field with an elaborately designed skater hall, a football field, a basketball field, a biker track and a spacious outdoor area was laid out east of the ring track in the area of ​​the flower pond . The pond was integrated into the area, which is closed off from the neighboring allotment garden with a noise barrier. This is used for graffiti . The hall is equipped with automatic lighting and also offers space to chill out . Materials for youth work can be stored in a red container.

Garden without limits

To the south of the existing Blumenstrasse, a garden area was created that is primarily available to immigrant people who want to spend their retirement years in Germany. The project is supervised by the elderly aid planning of the city of Braunschweig, the senior citizens office of the city of Braunschweig, the AWO and the Caritas . The site has a permanent garden shed.

Multi-generation park / exercise course

Between Jugendplatz and the former Westbahnhof, an area of ​​over 12,000 m² in the so-called birch grove has been designated as a multi-generation park. It has several stations of imaginative and unusual movement stations that have been specifically designed for young and old people.

Industrial path

Five container-sized steel structures were installed along the ring track, in which information on the industrial history of the quarter is presented. This creates a link between the current world of adventure and the district's former lifeline.

Green connection at the Jödebrunnen

The historic Jödebrunnen with the adjoining office building was off the beaten track for decades and the surrounding area was overgrown. The city acquired the site in 2011 and made it accessible with a new access road from Büchnerstrasse. Another access route along the old route of the pipelines is planned. The well area and the houses are thus directly included in the industrial path. Another use of the house is planned by an association.

Other Projects

  • A new sociocultural center is being built in a former factory building.
  • The former flying hangar and the adjoining area are used for climbing courses.
  • An IT company has built an IT campus with around 130 workstations and several co-working offices.
  • An ice cream kiosk has also been located there since 2016.

Web links

Commons : Westbahnhof  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ringbahn of the Braunschweig State Railway. Retrieved March 20, 2016 .
  2. ↑ District management. Retrieved March 21, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Westbahnhof hard WESTival. Retrieved March 20, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Culture for everyone. Retrieved March 21, 2016 .
  5. ^ IT campus - Westbahnhof. Accessed April 24, 2018 (German).
  6. ↑ Eating ice cream in Braunschweig. Accessed April 24, 2018 (German).


Coordinates: 52 ° 15 ′ 5 ″  N , 10 ° 30 ′ 15 ″  E