Berlin Friedrichstraße
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Bf | |
Location |
Friedrichstraße Mitte, Berlin Germany |
Coordinates | 52°31′13″N 13°23′13″E / 52.52028°N 13.38694°ECoordinates: 52°31′13″N 13°23′13″E / 52.52028°N 13.38694°E |
Line(s) | |
Other information | |
Station code | 0527 |
DS100 code | BFRI |
Category | 2 |
Website | www.bahnhof.de |
Berlin Friedrichstraße ([bɛɐˈliːn ˈfʁiːdʁɪçˌʃtʁaːsə]) is a railway station in the German capital Berlin. It is located on the Friedrichstraße, a major north-south street in the Mitte district of Berlin, adjacent to the point where the street crosses the Spree river. Underneath the station is the U-Bahn station Friedrichstraße.
Due to its central location in Berlin and its proximity to attractions such as the Unter den Linden boulevard, the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, the station is a favorite destination for tourists. At the same time, it is the main junction for regional traffic in Berlin, measured by the number of passengers.
During the Cold War, Friedrichstraße became famous for being a station that was located entirely in East Berlin, yet continued to be served by S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains from West Berlin as well as long distance trains from countries west of the Iron Curtain. The station also was a major border crossing between East and West Berlin.
In 1878, the first station was built after plans by Johannes Vollmer between the Friedrichstraße and the river Spree as part of the Berlin Stadtbahn construction. The architect was working on the neighbouring Hackescher Markt station at the same time. Just as the elevated viaduct the station is integrated into, the station rests on large arches built with masonry. The station had two platforms with two tracks each, covered by a large, curved train shed which rested on steel trusses of different length to cover the curvature of the viaduct underneath. The main entrance was on the northern side, the pick-up for horse carriages on the south side. Station opening was on 7 February 1882, as part of the ceremonial opening of the Berlin Stadtbahn. Long distance trains started on 15 May the same year.