Bonn Hauptbahnhof

Bonn Hauptbahnhof
Entrance of the station (2008)
Location	Am Hauptbahnhof 1, BonnNorth Rhine-Westphalia Germany
Coordinates	50°43′55″N 7°5′49″E / 50.73194°N 7.09694°E / 50.73194; 7.09694Coordinates: 50°43′55″N 7°5′49″E / 50.73194°N 7.09694°E / 50.73194; 7.09694
Line(s)	Left Rhine line Voreifel Railway
Construction
Architectural style	Neo-Renaissance
Other information
Station code	0767
DS100 code	KB
IBNR	8000044
Category	2
Website	www.bahnhof.de
History
Opening	22 April 1885

Bonn Hauptbahnhof is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services.

The first station was constructed in 1844 by the Bonn-Cologne Railway Company, as part of the West Rhine Railway. The current building was erected between 1883 and 1884. From 1870 a train ferry connected Bonn station to the East Rhine Railway. With the opening of the Voreifel Railway to Euskirchen, the station became a rail junction.

In 1883 and 1884, a new station building was erected, which is now heritage listed.

The station sharply increased in importance in 1949, when Bonn became capital of the Federal Republic. Many politicians and federal employees travelled by train, as did guests of the state.

In 1969, Bonn grew considerably by incorporating towns which includes the stations of Bad Godesberg, Beuel, Duisdorf, Oberkassel and Mehlem and, in 1971, the station was renamed Bonn Hauptbahnhof.

Northwest of the station there used to be a small freight yard, which is now closed and partially demolished. The remaining tracks are used to allow freight trains to be overtaken and as a yard for assembling passenger trains and parking freight wagons. The Rhine Shore station (Rheinuferbahnhof) of the former Cologne-Bonn Railway (Köln-Bonner Eisenbahnen AG, KBE) was next to the station until 1985. As part of the construction of the Bonn Stadtbahn in the early 1970s, the existing buildings at the station were demolished and rebuilt. The design of the station forecourt was soon the subject of much controversy among the public of Bonn and there were several attempts to redesign it.