Through station | |
The front of the station building
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Location | Bahnhofsplatz 1, Halle (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt Germany |
Coordinates | 51°28′41″N 11°59′12″E / 51.47806°N 11.98667°ECoordinates: 51°28′41″N 11°59′12″E / 51.47806°N 11.98667°E |
Line(s) |
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Platforms | 12 + 1 |
Other information | |
Station code | 2498 |
DS100 code | LH |
Category | 2 |
Website | www.bahnhof.de |
History | |
Opened | 8 October 1890 |
Electrified | 1922-1946 1 September 1955 |
Halle (Saale) Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the city of Halle in southern part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The station is situated east of the city centre and is a category 2 station.
The station is one of the most important transport hubs in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is a stop for long-distance and regional services. In addition, it is part of the Leipzig-Halle S-Bahn network and is served by the trams and buses that are part of the city's public transport.
In mid-1840 the Magdeburg-Leipzig Railway – initiated by city councillor, Matthäus Ludwig Wucherer, who supported the building of a railway from Magdeburg to Leipzig via Halle – built the first station in Halle, which was subsequently (1845 to 1847) rebuilt again to form a junction with the Thuringian Railway. The unusual feature of the route between Magdeburg and Leipzig was that it was the first cross-border railway link (from Prussia through Anhalt-Köthen to Saxony).
As further routes were added the station soon became too small, but could not be expanded because the various railway companies could not agree an overall concept. Not until 8 October 1890, after the nationalisation of one company and a five-year construction period could the new passenger station be opened. The station hall was largely destroyed during the Second World War and the wooden platform roofing replaced after the war with steel coverings.
In 1967 the S-Bahn was opened and hence a new platform added on the western side. In 1967/68 the station hall was clad by corrugated aluminium sheeting which matched the architecture and ideology of the time, and gave the station a typical modern, socialist appearance. As early as 1984 this covering was removed again however and the dilapidated domed roof was renovated. In 2002 the station, like many others in German cities, was comprehensively refurbished, rebuilt and provided with a range of shops.