Leipzig Hauptbahnhof

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Leipzig Hauptbahnhof
Deutsche Bahn SS-Bahn
Terminal station
LE Hauptbahnhof-4.jpg
View from City-Hochhaus
LocationWilly-Brandt-Platz 5, Leipzig, Saxony
Germany
Coordinates51°20′43″N 12°22′56″E / 51.34528°N 12.38222°E / 51.34528; 12.38222Coordinates: 51°20′43″N 12°22′56″E / 51.34528°N 12.38222°E / 51.34528; 12.38222
Owned byDeutsche Bahn
Operated by
Line(s)
Platforms21 long distance platforms (19 + 2 City Tunnel)[1][2]
Construction
Architect [de]
 [de]
Other information
Station code3631
DS100 code
  • LL
  • LL T (City Tunnel)
Category1[3]
Fare zoneMDV: 110[4]
Websitewww.bahnhof.de
History
Opened4 December 1915; 105 years ago (1915-12-04)
Electrified1922-1946[5]
9 June 1958; 63 years ago (1958-06-09)
Services
Preceding station   DB Fernverkehr   Following station
towards Munich
ICE 11
via Stuttgart - Frankfurt - Erfurt - Leipzig - Berlin
ICE 28
via Nürnberg - Erfurt - Leipzig - Berlin
towards Wiesbaden
ICE 50
Riesa
towards Dresden
Erfurt Hbf
towards Düsseldorf
IC 50Terminus
Halle
towards Cologne
IC 55
Riesa
towards Dresden
IC 56Terminus
towards Karlsruhe
IC 61Terminus
Preceding station   FlixTrain   Following station
towards Aachen
FLX 30
via Hannover - Berlin		Terminus
Preceding station   DB Regio Bayern   Following station
TerminusRE 42
toward Nuremberg Hbf
Preceding station   DB Regio Nordost   Following station
TerminusRE 10
Leipzig Nord
toward Cottbus Hbf
Preceding station   DB Regio Südost   Following station
RE 13Terminus
TerminusRE 50
toward Dresden Hbf
TerminusRB 113
toward Geithain
Preceding station   Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland   Following station
toward Erfurt Hbf
RE 17
RE 74520 only
Terminus
toward Eisenach
RB 20
via Gotha - Erfurt - Weimar - Naumburg (Saale)		Terminus
Preceding station   Erfurter Bahn   Following station
Leipzig-Plagwitz
EBx 12
Terminus
toward Hof Hbf
EB 13
Terminus
toward Saalfeld (Saale)
EB 22
Terminus
Preceding station   Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn   Following station
TerminusRE 6
toward Chemnitz Hbf
TerminusRB 110
toward Döbeln Hbf
Preceding station   S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland   Following station
S 1
Leipzig Markt
Leipzig Nord
S 2
Leipzig Markt
toward Halle-Trotha
S 3
Leipzig Markt
toward Wurzen
Leipzig Nord
toward Hoyerswerda
S 4
Leipzig Markt
Leipzig Messe
S 5
Leipzig Markt
toward Zwickau Hbf
Leipzig Messe
S 5X
Leipzig Markt
toward Zwickau Hbf
Leipzig Nord
toward Leipzig Messe
S 6
Leipzig Markt
toward Geithain
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Location
Leipzig is located in Saxony
Leipzig
Leipzig
Location within Saxony

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (Leipzig main station, IATA: XIT) is the central railway terminus in Leipzig, Germany. At 83,460 square metres (898,400 sq ft), it is Europe's largest railway station measured by floor area. It has 19 overground platforms housed in six iron train sheds, a multi-level concourse with towering stone arches, and a 298 metres (978 ft) long facade.[1][2] The two Leipzig City Tunnel platforms were inaugurated in December 2013.[6]

The station is operated by DB Station&Service, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, and is classified as a Category 1 station, one of twenty in Germany. It also functions as a large shopping centre.[7] Train services are operated by Deutsche Bahn, S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland, Erfurter Bahn and Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn. As of 2008, Leipzig Hauptbahnhof handled an average of 120,000 passengers per day.[8]

In 2021, Leipzig Hauptbahnhof was ranked the best railway station in Europe.[9]

History[]

Track plan of 1909, the world's largest railway station by number of tracks, 26. In 1909 Leipzig was located in the German Empire's centre, "between Memel and Metz"
Thuringian and Dresden stations in Leipzig, 1860 map

After the opening of the Leipzig–Dresden railway line in 1839, followed by the Magdeburg-Leipzig railway one year later, the Leipzig–Hof railway in 1842, and the Leipzig–Großkorbetha railway in 1856, Leipzig had become the most important railway junction in the Kingdom of Saxony. Initially trains departed from separate termini, such as Bayerischer Bahnhof, located Southeast of the Leipzig city centre. While the city's population increased sharply, especially upon German unification in 1871, the spatial separation proved to be complicated and ineffective.

By 1895, the Saxon railway lines were nationalized under the umbrella of the Royal Saxon State Railways, while the lines of the former Magdeburg–Halberstadt, Berlin-Anhalt, and Halle-Sorau-Guben railway companies had been incorporated into the Prussian state railways. Already in 1875, plans for the establishment of a united German imperial railway organisation, as proposed by Albert von Maybach, had failed due to the antagonism of the Central German states, notably by the Saxon government. Therefore, two state railways rivalled to meet the demands of a steadily growing transport volume in the Leipzig area.

Concourse, 1916

Finally in 1898, the Leipzig city council decided on a joint terminal for Royal Saxon and Prussian state railways north of the city centre. A building contract with both organisations was signed in 1902 and an architectural competition with 76 participants was held in 1906. The winning design by the architects William Lossow (1852–1914) and Max Hans Kühne (1874–1942) featured two identical domed entrance halls facing the street, one for each company. The foundation stone was laid on 16 November 1909 and the platforms were gradually brought into operation station from 1912 onwards. When construction works finished on 4 December 1915, Leipzig Hauptbahnhof had become one of the world's largest railway stations with 26 platforms.

The separate administration of the Saxon and Prussian parts of the station continued even after World War I and the establishment of the nationwide Deutsche Reichsbahn railway organisation in 1920. Not until 1934 Leipzig Hauptbahnhof as a whole was assigned to the Reichsbahn directorate in Halle. By 1939, it had become one of Germany's busiest railway stations. The building was severely damaged by Allied bombing during World War II when during an air raid by the US Eighth Air Force on 7 July 1944 the roof over the concourse collapsed and the western entrance hall was destroyed. Numerous travellers and railway employees were killed. Rail traffic discontinued completely in April 1945.

Concourse, 1953

After the war, train service was quickly resumed. The hardly damaged eastern entrance hall was restored by 1949, and the western hall was rebuilt to its original appearance by the Deutsche Reichsbahn railway company of East Germany in the early 1950s. The concourse, however, remained without a roofing, until in 1954 the East German Council of Ministers resolved upon a complete reconstruction. The full restoration of Leipzig Hauptbahnhof was finished on 4 December 1965, 50 years after its inauguration.

After German reunification the station was renovated and modernized by the Deutsche Bahn AG. The concourse floor was removed and two basement levels were dug out to create a shopping mall. Other areas of the building were largely restored and modernized at the time. The Design and Planning were done by the architectural firm HPP based in Düsseldorf. The modified station building was inaugurated on 12 November 1997.

The Leipzig City Tunnel, an underground railway line between the south of Leipzig and Hauptbahnhof via the central Markt station, opened on 14 December 2013.[10][11] Further modifications of platforms and tracks are currently being carried out in the course of the construction of the Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle high-speed railway line, part of the European Berlin–Palermo railway axis.

  • Concourse after modification

  • Interior during Christmas

  • Bombardier Twindexx Leipzig-5.jpg

  • First train at the Leipzig City Tunnel on 14 December 2013

Historic exhibits[]

On the site of closed track No. 24, several historical Deutsche Reichsbahn locomotives are on display:

  • Class 52 steam locomotive 52 5448-7
  • Class SVT 137 Diesel multiple unit 137 225
  • AC electric locomotive E04 01
  • AC electric locomotive E44 046
  • Class E94 AC electric locomotive E94 056

Movie set[]

Leipzig Hauptbahnhof served as a backdrop for several films, such as

Train services[]

S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland at Leipzig City Tunnel
Intercity train, 2009

The following services currently call at the station:[12]

Long distance[]

Line Route Interval (min) Operator
ICE 11 Hamburg – Berlin – Lutherstadt Wittenberg – Leipzig – Erfurt – Frankfurt – Stuttgart – Augsburg – Munich 120 DB Fernverkehr
ICE 28 Hamburg – Berlin – Lutherstadt Wittenberg – Leipzig – Erfurt – Bamberg – Nuremberg – Munich 120 DB Fernverkehr
ICE 50 Dresden – Riesa – Leipzig – Erfurt – Eisenach – Fulda – Frankfurt – Mainz – Wiesbaden 120 DB Fernverkehr
IC 50 Leipzig – Naumburg – Weimar – Erfurt – Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe – Dortmund – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne Individual services DB Fernverkehr
IC 55 Dresden – Riesa – Leipzig – Halle – Magdeburg – Braunschweig – Hannover – Bielefeld – Dortmund – Wuppertal – Cologne 120 DB Fernverkehr
IC 56 Leipzig – Halle – Magdeburg – Braunschweig – Hannover – Bremen – Oldenburg – Leer – Emden – Norddeich Mole 120 DB Fernverkehr
IC 61 Leipzig – Naumburg – Jena – Saalfeld – Lichtenfels – Nuremberg – Aalen – Schorndorf – Stuttgart – Pforzheim – Karlsruhe One train pair DB Fernverkehr
FLX 30 Leipzig – Lutherstadt Wittenberg – Berlin Südkreuz – Berlin Hbf – Berlin-Spandau – Hannover – Bielefeld – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Aachen 4 train pairs per week Flixtrain

Regional and S-Bahn[]

See also: S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland
Line Route Interval (min) Operator
RE 6 Leipzig – Belgershain – Bad Lausick – Geithain – Burgstädt – Chemnitz 060 Transdev
RE 10 Leipzig – Eilenburg – Torgau – Falkenberg – Doberlug-Kirchhain – Calau – Cottbus 120 DB Regio Nordost
EBx 12 Leipzig – Pegau – Zeitz – Bad Köstritz – Gera – Weida – Pößneck – Saalfeld 120 Erfurter Bahn
RE 13 Leipzig – Delitzsch – Bitterfeld – Dessau – Zerbst – Biederitz – Magdeburg 120 DB Regio Südost
EB 13 Leipzig – Zeitz – Gera – Weida – Zeulenroda – Mehltheuer – Hof 120 Erfurter Bahn
RE 42 Leipzig – Weißenfels – Naumburg – Jena – Saalfeld – Bamberg – Erlangen – Nürnberg 120 DB Regio Bayern
RE 50 Leipzig – Wurzen – Oschatz – Riesa – Priestewitz – Radebeul Ost – Dresden 060 DB Regio Südost
RB 20 Leipzig – Bad Dürrenberg – Weißenfels – Naumburg – Apolda – Weimar – Erfurt – Gotha – Eisenach 060 Abellio
EB 22 Leipzig – Pegau – Zeitz – Bad Köstritz – Gera – Weida – Pößneck – Könitz – Saalfeld 120 Erfurter Bahn
RB 110 Leipzig – Borsdorf – Grimma – Leisnig – Döbeln 060 Transdev
RB 113 Leipzig – Belgershain – Bad Lausick – Geithain 060 DB Regio Südost
S 1 Leipzig Miltitzer Allee – Leipzig-Plagwitz – Leipzig – Leipzig Markt – Leipzig-Stötteritz 030 DB Regio Südost
S 2 (Jüterbog –) Wittenberg / Dessau – Bitterfeld – Delitzsch – Leipzig – Leipzig Markt – Leipzig-Stötteritz 030 DB Regio Südost
S 3 Halle-Trotha – Halle – Schkeuditz – Leipzig – Leipzig Markt – Leipzig-Connewitz (– Markkleeberg-Gaschwitz) 030 DB Regio Südost
S 4 Hoyerswerda – Falkenberg – Eilenburg – Leipzig – Leipzig Markt – Leipzig-Stötteritz – Wurzen (– Oschatz) 030 DB Regio Südost
S 5 Halle – Flughafen Leipzig/Halle – Leipzig – Leipzig Markt – Markkleeberg – Altenburg – Gößnitz – Zwickau 060 DB Regio Südost
S 5X Halle – Flughafen Leipzig/Halle – Leipzig – Leipzig Markt – Markkleeberg – Altenburg – Gößnitz – Zwickau 060 DB Regio Südost
S 6 Leipzig Messe – Leipzig – Leipzig Markt – Leipzig-Connewitz – Markkleeberg – Borna – Geithain 030 DB Regio Südost

Gallery[]

  • Aerial picture of the station

  • One of the two identical entrance halls.

  • Concourse

  • Train shed detail

  • Train shed

  • Inside the train shed

  • Inside the sheds in 1954, before the glass shattered in the war had been replaced.

  • The ruined concourse in 1956, still open to the elements before rebuilding.

  • 1957: Partially restored, but the concourse is still without a roof.

  • Exterior,1962.

  • Exterior,1965.

  • Exterior,1965.

  • Holocaust memorial

  • Electric locomotive on display

  • Exterior, 2010.

  • 12-06-30-leipzig-by-ralfr-04.jpg

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "OpenRailwayMap" (Map). Map of Leipzig Hauptbahnhof. Cartography by OpenStreetMap. OpenRailwayMap. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lageplan Hauptbahnhof Leipzig" (PDF) (orientation map) (in German). Deutsche Bahn AG. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  3. ^ "Stationspreisliste 2021" [Station price list 2021] (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Tarifzonenplan" (PDF). Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsverbund. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. ^ Since 1946 catenaries and overhead line masts were dismantled as Soviet war reparations.
  6. ^ Pressestelle. "Startseite - sachsen.de". www.citytunnelleipzig.de. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  7. ^ "PHL". www.promenaden-hauptbahnhof-leipzig.de. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  8. ^ Shopping und Service – 140 Geschäfte laden zum Bummeln und Verweilen ein. Accessed 13 December 2008 Archived April 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Das ist Europas bester Bahnhof". www.t-online.de.
  10. ^ Große Pläne, große Probleme, Freizeitpark Nürburgring, Hamburger Elbphilharmonie, Leipziger City-Tunnel, Leipziger Volkszeitung, August 17. 2012 (in German)
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2013-12-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Kursbuch der Deutschen Bahn". kursbuch.bahn.de. Retrieved Jul 24, 2020.

External links[]

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