120-538: Source: German railway atlas The Ländches Railway ( Ländchesbahn ) is a single-track non-electrified branch railway line between Wiesbaden and Niedernhausen , in the German state of Hesse . The 19.6-kilometre (12.2 mi) long line was opened in 1879. It is now Deutsche Bahn route 627 and route 21 (RB 21) of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund . The Hessian Ludwig Railway ( Hessische Ludwigsbahn ) opened
240-626: A transport hub for long and short distance travelling, Deutsche Bahn refers to it as the most important station in Germany. The affix "Main" comes from the city's full name, Frankfurt am Main (" Frankfurt on the River Main ") and is needed to distinguish it from Frankfurt (Oder) station on the River Oder in Brandenburg. In German, the name is often abbreviated as Frankfurt (Main) Hbf . Before
360-552: A castle, probably from the early Middle Ages, around which the city had developed. While nothing is known of the former castle, remains of it were uncovered during excavations after World War II. The new town hall was built in 1887. A tile mosaic in front of the town hall shows the heraldic eagle of the Kingdom of Prussia (of which Wiesbaden was a part at the time), the coat of arms of the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau , and
480-800: A coalition of Germanic tribes from beyond the Limes , captured the fort around 260. Later, in the 370s, when the Romans and Alamanni were allied, the Alemanni gained control of the Wiesbaden area and were in charge of its defense against other Germanic tribes. After the Franks under Clovis I defeated the Alamanni in the Battle of Tolbiac in 496, the Franks eventually displaced the Alamanni in
600-414: A freight track and the points were controlled via a signal box. The building was demolished in 1972 due to its disrepair and replaced by a waiting shelter. Meanwhile, the track infrastructure was dismantled, converting the station into a halt. The ESWE buses serve the nearby August-Ruf-Straße stop. Plans are currently underway to modernise the halt and improve the connection between the railway station and
720-572: A link was opened to the Wiesbaden Süd express freight yard in 1906. With the opening of Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof in 1906, the Ludwigsbahnhof was closed and the line shortened by about a kilometre. After the opening of the racecourse on the grounds of today's airfield in Erbenheim , trains ran to Erbenheim on race days, at ten-minute intervals at the busiest times. On 1 October 1907, responsibility for
840-565: A mild climate. It has been called the " Nice of the North" because of its climate and architecture. The city of Wiesbaden is one of the wealthiest cities in Germany and one of those with above-average purchasing power. The United States Army Europe and Africa headquarters are located in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim . Wiesbaden is situated on the right (northern) bank of the Rhine , above the confluence of
960-840: A planned " Fluxus " publication with concerts of antique musical instruments, the “Fluxus Internationale Festspiele Neuester Music” (Fluxus International Festival of Newest Music) at the Museum Wiesbaden. Fourteen concerts were performed on four weekends between 1 and 23 September which marked the beginning of the Fluxus movement. Work by musicians such as John Cage , György Ligeti , Krzysztof Penderecki , Terry Riley , Brion Gysin and others were performed alongside new performance pieces written by Higgins, Knowles, George Brecht , Nam June Paik , Ben Patterson , Robert Filliou , Emmett Williams , and others. One performance in particular, "Piano Activities" by Philip Corner , became notorious by challenging
1080-497: A population of 86,100, hosted 126,000 visitors annually. Famous visitors to the springs included Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , Fyodor Dostoevsky , Richard Wagner , Johannes Brahms , and Henrik Pontoppidan . In those years, more millionaires were living in Wiesbaden than in any other city in Germany. Gambling followed bathing en suite , and in the 19th century, Wiesbaden was famous for both. Its casino ( Spielbank ) rivalled those of Bad Homburg , Baden-Baden , and Monaco . In 1872,
1200-491: A three-storey underground car park (part of which can also be used as a fallout shelter ), is accessed through numerous corridors and stairs. These were the first public escalators in the city at the time. The tram stop on the square in front of the station, Am Hauptbahnhof , could formerly only be reached from the escalator opened in 1978 on the B level. There is now a pedestrian crossing at street level. The underground stations were built using "cut and cover" construction: for
1320-471: A ticket office as well as a baggage handling office. As part of the renewal of the stations on the Ländches Railway, a shift of the station towards Berliner Straße is planned to shorten the paths from the bus stop and town centre to the station. Wiesbaden-Igstadt station ( 50°4′56″N 8°19′32″E / 50.08222°N 8.32556°E / 50.08222; 8.32556 ) is located west of
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#17330935193431440-506: A warehouse full of 4,000 cases of champagne. After the war's end, American rock artist Elvis Presley was stationed in Friedberg and often visited Wiesbaden. After World War II, the state of Hesse was established (see Greater Hesse ), and Wiesbaden became its capital, though nearby Frankfurt am Main is much larger and works as Hesse's economic and financial centre. Wiesbaden however suffered much less than Frankfurt from air bombing. There
1560-547: Is a persistent rumour that the U.S. Army Air Force spared the town with the intention of turning it into a postwar HQ, but USAAF sources claim this to be a myth, arguing that Wiesbaden's economic and strategic importance simply did not justify more bombing. Wiesbaden was host to the Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces, Europe based at the former Lindsey Air Station from 1953 to 1973. American armed forces have been present in Wiesbaden since World War II. The U.S. 1st Armored Division
1680-589: Is also continued in the roof area, where large glass surfaces let in daylight. The division of the train shed into three parts corresponded to the original use by three railway companies: the Taunus-Eisenbahn , the Prussian state railways and the Hessian Ludwigsbahn . There is a tower on each side of the facade. In the middle of the roof there is a 6.3-metre (20 ft 8 in)-high bronze group of figures by
1800-586: Is at a high point of the Taunus and marks the highest elevation of the line. The elevation drops towards Niedernhausen. Between 1996 and 1998, the halt ( Haltepunkt ) of Rhein-Main-Theater was located at line-kilometre 17.8 between Auringen-Medenbach and Niedernhausen (Taunus); this served the musical theatre of the same name, where Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber was performed. Continuous theatre trains ran from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof to Niedernhausen, and then ran back to Rhein-Main-Theater. In Niedernhausen,
1920-451: Is at an elevation of 115 metres (377 ft). Wiesbaden covers an area of 204 km (79 sq mi). It is 17.6 kilometres (10.9 mi) from north to south and 19.7 kilometres (12.2 mi) from west to east. In the north are vast forest areas, which cover 27.4% of the urban area. In the west and east are vineyards and agricultural land, which cover 31.1% of the area. Of the municipality's 79 kilometres (49.1 mi)-long border,
2040-508: Is considered to be exhausted. Several lines (e.g. ICE 13 and RB 58 ) can no longer be routed via the station. For reasons of acceleration, only four platform tracks (tracks 6 to 9) are normally used for long-distance trains on the north-south axis. In order to mitigate a number of traffic disadvantages of terminal stations in general and the Frankfurt railway junction in particular, ideas and suggestions have been discussed again and again since
2160-484: Is contributing €27.5m. Previously unused basements are to be used for this purpose. On 21 December 2015, Deutsche Bahn and the city of Frankfurt signed a contract to modernise the underground distribution level and to create additional access points. Work was scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2016 and be completed in mid-2020. The city of Frankfurt is contributing €27.5m to the construction costs of €135m. The planned Frankfurt am Main long-distance railway tunnel
2280-473: Is divided into the entrance building and the train shed. The entrance building faces on to the street side to the east and thus opens up the terminal station towards the Bahnhofsviertel (station district). The façade of the older building, in front of the three central train sheds, was designed in a Renaissance Revival style , the extensions of the entrance building from 1924, in front of the two outer halls,
2400-610: Is estimated at 10 years after the completion of planning. Construction is expected to start in the 2030s and operations would start in the 2040s. The construction costs are estimated at €3.6b. The upgrade of the node is one of 13 infrastructure projects of the proposed German clock-face timetable ( Deutschlandtakt ) that, according to the coalition agreement of the red-green-yellow federal government presented in November 2021, are to be "accelerated" and implemented "with high political priority". The above-ground part of Frankfurt Haupptbahnhof
2520-463: Is in the neoclassical style . The building is 270 metres (885 ft 10 in) wide. The centre of the entrance building is the main reception hall, the street-side entrance of which consists of three doorways divided by two large pillars. Above the centre there is a decorated clock with allegories of day and night and the Deutsche Bahn logo with the word "Hauptbahnhof". The division into three bays
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#17330935193432640-464: Is located about 400 metres west of the town hall and the church square of the district of Erbenheim . Until 2005, there were two mechanical signal boxes in Erbenheim, which were demolished with the dismantling of infrastructure, including points, meaning that the station is now classified as a Haltepunkt (halt). The signal box at the exit to Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof served as a guard signal box. The single-storey former station building formerly had
2760-403: Is located between the two Wiesbaden districts of Auringen and Medenbach. A stately entrance building with an extension, a freight shed, a laundry, a kerosene cellar and stables were built. On the ground floor there was a large waiting room with wooden benches and a potbelly stove , while the upper floors served as a dwelling for railway officials. Originally, the station had two platform tracks and
2880-411: Is now remotely operated from the operations centre in Frankfurt by six dispatchers and a node dispatcher. €132m was spent on the signal box. The new interlocking laid the foundation for numerous extensions and conversions of the tracks of the station and the lines leading to it, in order to better utilise the station platform tracks in the future and to increase their capacity. The wayfinding system
3000-516: Is one of the oldest spa towns in Europe. Its name translates to "meadow baths", and there are 15 mineral springs —14 of which are hot springs —in the city centre. With a yield of around 2 million liters daily, Wiesbaden is the second-most productive German spa after Aachen . Its location in a mountain basin at the southern foot of the Taunus , protected by the mountains in the north and west, gives Wiesbaden
3120-450: Is planned. From July to September 2010, platform 12/13 was removed and rebuilt. The platform cover was separated from the substructure with concrete saws, demolished in sections and rebuilt in prefabricated concrete sections. The new platform was given the same granite flooring as the transverse platform and the main platforms. The part outside the hall will be provided with a new, 130-metre (426 ft 6 in)-long platform roof. Overall,
3240-517: Is the capital of the German state of Hesse , and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main . With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 24th-largest city . Wiesbaden forms a conurbation with a population of around 500,000 with the neighbouring city of Mainz . This conurbation is in turn embedded in the Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region —Germany's second-largest metropolitan region after Rhine-Ruhr —which also includes
3360-732: Is to run from the Offenbach city limits or from the Frankfurt East station to the Niederräd Main bridge. It is intended to relieve the Hauptbahnhof and turn it into an underground through station for many long-distance lines. The project is included as an "urgent need" of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030. The results of the feasibility study were presented to the public on 28 June 2021. The construction period
3480-660: The Confessing Church resistance movement against the Nazis, is an Honorary Citizen of Wiesbaden. He presented his last sermon before his arrest in Wiesbaden's Market Church. In World War II, Wiesbaden was the headquarters for Germany's Wehrkreis XII . This military district included the Eifel , part of Hesse , the Palatinate , and the Saarland . After the Battle of France , this Wehrkreis
3600-595: The Holy Roman Empire ). The town was part of Franconia , the heartland of East Francia. In the 1170s, the Count of Nassau , Walram I, received the area around Wiesbaden as a fiefdom . When Franconia fragmented in the early 13th century, Nassau emerged as an independent state as part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1232 Wiesbaden became a Reichsstadt , an imperial city, of the Holy Roman Empire. However, in 1242, during
3720-533: The Limes Germanicus , which was a line of Roman frontier fortifications in the Taunus . Wiesbaden is just south of the Taunus. The capital of the province of Germania Superior , Mogontiacum (present-day Mainz ), base of 2 (at times 3) Roman legions, was just over the Rhine and connected by a bridge at the present-day borough of Mainz-Kastel (Roman " castellum "), a strongly fortified bridgehead. The Alamanni ,
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3840-673: The Ludwigsbahnhof ( 50°4′39″N 8°14′45″E / 50.07750°N 8.24583°E / 50.07750; 8.24583 ) . With the reconstruction of the railway tracks in the city, the new Hauptbahnhof ( 50°4′15″N 8°14′38″E / 50.07083°N 8.24389°E / 50.07083; 8.24389 ) became the end of the line. This provides connections to long-distance traffic as well as to various regional rail services and bus routes. Wiesbaden-Erbenheim station ( 50°3′17″N 8°17′44″E / 50.05472°N 8.29556°E / 50.05472; 8.29556 )
3960-584: The Luftwaffe was stationed here. In the Kristallnacht pogrom on 10 November 1938, Wiesbaden's large synagogue on Michelsberg was destroyed. The synagogue had been designed by Phillip Hoffmann and built in 1869. Another synagogue in Wiesbaden-Bierstadt was also destroyed. When the Nazis came to power in Germany, there were 2,700 Jews living in Wiesbaden. By June 1942 nearly all of them had been deported to
4080-567: The Main , where the Rhine's main direction changes from north to west. The city is across the Rhine from Mainz, the capital of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate . Frankfurt am Main is located about 38 kilometres (23.6 mi) east. To the north of the city are the Taunus Mountains, which trend in a northeasterly direction. The city center, the Stadtmitte , is located in the north-easternmost part of
4200-659: The Main-Lahn Railway , which passes through Niedernhausen, in 1877. The Ländches Railway was built to provide a connection from Niedernhausen to Wiesbaden, where the Taunus Railway and the Right Rhine Railway ended. It was opened together with the Ludwigsbahnhof (Ludwig station) on 1 July 1879. The line's approach to Wiesbaden was rebuilt over more than six kilometres to enable the construction of Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof . This new section went into operation in 1904 and
4320-714: The Upper Rhine Valley at the spurs of the Taunus mountains, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Rhine. The landscape is formed by a wide lowland between the Taunus heights in the north, the Bierstadter Höhe and the Hainerberg in the east, the Mosbacher Mountain in the south, and the Schiersteiner Mountain in the west, an offshoot of the Taunus range. The downtown is drained only by the narrow valley of
4440-522: The Wandervogel movement were installed at the southern entrance. During the Second World War, the station was the target of Allied air raids , for instance on 11 December 1944, when almost 1000 tons of multi-purpose bombs were dropped on the station. However, it had already been damaged by air raids on Frankfurt am Main. Above all, the glazing of the platform halls was destroyed. In order to protect
4560-678: The extermination camps in German-occupied Poland . General Ludwig Beck from Wiesbaden was one of the planners of the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler . Beck was designated by his fellow conspirators to be future Head of State (Regent) after elimination of Hitler. The plot failed, however, and Beck was forced to commit suicide. Today, the city annually awards the Ludwig Beck prize for civil courage in his honor. Lutheran pastor and theologian Martin Niemöller , founder of
4680-481: The fleur-de-lis of Wiesbaden. The old town hall, built in 1610, is the oldest preserved building in the city center and now is used as a civil registry office. Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof , also called Frankfurt Central Station and Frankfurt Main Station , is the busiest train station in the German state of Hesse . Due to its location near the middle of Germany and usage as
4800-471: The 800-metre-long upgrade would cost €131m, but the costs ultimately amounted to around €180m. The costs were funded by the federal government. Operationally, the line is to be referred to as "Ffm Hbf–Mainzer Landstraße". By 2019, access from level B and the station forecourt are to be remodelled at a cost of €175m. Between the beginning of 2016 and the beginning of 2019, more than 1,000 square metres of new retail space are to be built for €134.5m. The city
4920-707: The Allied occupation of the Rhineland and was occupied by the French army in 1918. In 1921, the Wiesbaden Agreement on German reparations to France was signed in the city. In 1925, Wiesbaden became the headquarters of the British Army of the Rhine until the withdrawal of occupying forces from the Rhineland in 1930. In 1929, an airport was constructed in Erbenheim on the site of a horse-racing track. In 1936, Fighter Squadron 53 of
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5040-578: The Braunschweig sculptor Gustav Herold: Atlas , who carries the globe on his shoulders, accompanied by symbolic figures for steam and electricity. There are also figures representing trade and agriculture and the iron industry and shipping. West of the entrance building is the train shed. It consists of five steel and glass halls that cover the platforms over a length of 186 metres (610 ft 3 in). The three larger halls are 56 metres (183 ft 9 in) wide and 28 metres (91 ft 10 in) high,
5160-516: The Count of Nassau-Usingen granted a concession for gambling in Wiesbaden. In 1810, the Wiesbaden Casino (German: Spielbank ) was opened in the old Kurhaus. Gambling was later outlawed by Prussian authorities in 1872. As a result of Napoleon 's victory over Austria in the Battle of Austerlitz , the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1805. On 12 July 1806, 16 states in present-day Germany, including
5280-515: The Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof was commissioned to mitigate the disadvantages or to relocate the station as a whole. These proposals were discarded due to technical problems and lack of economic viability. Various options for underground through stations were discussed in the 1980s and 1990s. The Frankfurt 21 concept that emerged from this provided for the conversion of the station into a twelve-track through station. The project presented in 1996
5400-576: The HLB, which had previously been used on the Kahlgrund Railway and were released because operations on that line were then taken over by Westfrankenbahn , part of DB Regio . All stations on the Ländches Railway are in the tariff area of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV). With the exception of Niedernhausen station (and the abandoned Rhein-Main-Theater station), these are also in the Wiesbaden urban area. Some have direct access to local bus routes, while
5520-699: The House of Nassau and thereby, Wiesbaden, received the right of coinage from Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Bavarian . In 1355, the County of Nassau-Weilburg was divided among the sons of Gerlach. The County of Nassau's holdings would be subdivided many times among heirs, with the parts being brought together again whenever a line died out. Wiesbaden became the seat of the County of Nassau-Wiesbaden under Count Adolf I (1307–1370), eldest son of Gerlach. It would eventually fall back to Nassau-Weilburg in 1605. Due to its participation in
5640-588: The House of Nassau-Usingen. In 1806, the city became the capital of the Duchy of Nassau . Since 1841, the newly built Wiesbaden City Palace was the principal Nassauian residence. From 1868 to 1944, the city lay in the Prussian Province of Hesse-Nassau , and from 1944 to 1945, it was the capital of the Province of Nassau . In 1945, it became the capital of Greater Hesse and subsequently, in 1946, of Hesse . Wiesbaden
5760-539: The Ländches Railway merges with the tracks of the Main-Lahn railway , allowing the trains to change between the routes without difficulty. The relatively short route is used primarily by commuter traffic and is therefore serviced by multiple units (i.e. self-propelled carriages). After World War II , these sets were mainly class ETA-176 battery-powered railcars based in Limburg. Trains generally stopped at every station along
5880-483: The Prussian-dominated imperial government closed down all German gambling houses. The Wiesbaden casino was reopened in 1949. The Schloßplatz ("palace square") is situated in the center of the city, surrounded by several outstanding buildings. The ducal palace was begun under William, Duke of Nassau . Its foundations were laid in 1837 and it was completed in November 1841 (two years after William's death). For
6000-658: The Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund and Alstom had agreed to use new railcars with fuel cell propulsion ( iLINT ) on the lines of the Taunus network (12, 13, 15 and 21) from 2018 at the earliest. Since 14 December 2014, the line has been operated by the Hessische Landesbahn (HLB). It was initially operated for about a year with Stadler GTW sets and another LINT 41 set owned by HLB. These were replaced in December 2015 by six Siemens Desiro Classic sets belonging to
6120-509: The Rhine makes up 10.3 kilometres (6.4 mi). Wiesbaden has a temperate - oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ; Trewartha : Dobk ) with relatively cold winters and warm summers. Its average annual temperature is 9.8 °C (49.6 °F), with monthly mean temperatures ranging from 1.2 °C (34.2 °F) in January to 18.9 °C (66.0 °F) in July. The Wiesbaden weather station has recorded
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#17330935193436240-557: The S-Bahn platforms to the U-Bahn and to the side platform of the train shed. Due to the frequent theft of luggage trolleys, which caused annual damage of up to €30,000, a security system was installed in the station to prevent the luggage trolleys from being removed from the railway premises. When crossing a red mark, the front wheel locked. This system was originally developed for shopping carts and adapted accordingly. The rental of luggage trolleys
6360-427: The Salzbach, a tributary of the Rhine, on the eastern flanks of the Mosbacher Mountain. The city's main railway line and the Mainz road ( Mainzer Straße ) follow this valley. Several other streams drain into the Salzbach within the city center: the Wellritzbach, the Kesselbach, the Schwarzbach, the Dambach, and the Tennelbach, as well as the outflow of many thermal and mineral springs in the Kurhaus (spa) district. Above
6480-446: The Wiesbaden area over the course of the 6th century. In the 8th century, Wiesbaden became the site of a royal palace of the Frankish kingdom. The first documented use of the name Wiesbaden is by Einhard , the biographer of Charlemagne , whose writings mention "Wisabada" sometime between 828 and 830. When the Frankish Carolingian Empire broke up in 888, Wiesbaden was in the eastern half, called East Francia (which would evolve into
6600-410: The buffer stops. This in turn meant that the last carriages of the trains came to a stop away from the platforms, which the management did not like either. The engine drivers were warned to "drive as close as possible to the buffer stops". In 1924 the building was extended with two outer halls in Neoclassical style. The number of tracks increased to 25 (tracks 1 to 24 and 1a). Reliefs with motifs of
6720-482: The bus stop. The line connects to the Main-Lahn Railway at Niedernhausen station ( 50°9′34.71″N 8°18′46.31″E / 50.1596417°N 8.3128639°E / 50.1596417; 8.3128639 ) . This is served by S-Bahn line S2 as well as the buses of Omnibusverkehr Rhein-Nahe (ORN) and ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft . Wiesbaden Wiesbaden ( German pronunciation: [ˈviːsˌbaːdn̩] ; lit. ' meadow baths ' )
6840-420: The city became the ducal residence. Building activity started to give the city a magnificent appearance. Most of the historical center of Wiesbaden dates back to this time. In the Revolutions of 1848 , 30,000 citizens of Nassau assembled in Wiesbaden on 4 March. They demanded a constitution from the Duke, which they received. In the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Nassau took Austria's side. This decision led to
6960-412: The city center, the Salzbach is better known as the Rambach. The highest point of the Wiesbaden municipality is located northwest of the city center near the summit of the Hohe Wurzel, with an elevation of 608 metres (1,995 ft) above sea level . The lowest point is the harbour entrance of Schierstein at 83 metres (272 ft) above sea level. The central square (the Schlossplatz , or palace square)
7080-419: The city of Mainz until 1945, and still bear the designation "Mainz" in their names—the so-called AKK-boroughs of Mainz-Amöneburg , Mainz-Kastel , and Mainz-Kostheim . This so-called AKK-Konflikt ( de:AKK-Konflikt ) is the main cause for the rivalry between Mainz and Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden Main Station is connected to Frankfurt am Main by the Rhine-Main S-Bahn rapid transit system. Historically, Wiesbaden
7200-409: The city. Many wealthy persons chose Wiesbaden as their retirement seat, as it offered leisure and medical treatment alike. In the latter part of the 19th century, Wiesbaden became the German city with the most millionaires. In 1894, the present Hessian State Theater, designed by the Vienna architects Fellner and Helmer, was built on behalf of Kaiser Wilhelm II. After World War I, Wiesbaden fell under
7320-430: The construction of the S-Bahn station below the long-distance train hall, the north wing of the entrance building was removed from 12 January 1972 and later rebuilt using the original facade cladding. The underground stations began operating in 1978. At the same time, a two-storey air raid shelter was built to offer railway employees protection in an emergency. All telephone operations could be handled from this bunker. It
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#17330935193437440-419: The current Hauptbahnhof was built on the Galgenfeld (gallows field), the three western stations , the termini of the Taunus Railway ( Taunusbahn ), the Main–Weser Railway ( Main-Weser-Bahn ) and the Main-Neckar Railway ( Main-Neckar-Bahn ) were located on the outskirts of the city, the Gallusanlage , the area of today's Bahnhofsviertel ("station district"). Due to the increased volume of travellers at
7560-400: The designer of the three new station halls made of iron with a 28-metre (91 ft 10 in)-high barrel vault , each of which had three platforms with six tracks. On 18 August 1888, after only five years of construction, the Centralbahnhof Frankfurt (Frankfurt Central Station) was inaugurated. In the next few years, the station district developed to the east of the entrance building and
7680-497: The district of Igstadt and has a heritage-listed entrance building from 1926. It is planned to build a new access from the centre of Igstadt to station. Igstadt station is the only station on the Ländches Railway with a crossing loop apart from the endpoints. In July 2017, the mechanical signal box was replaced by a computer-based interlocking . Auringen-Medenbach station ( 50°06′49″N 8°19′55″E / 50.11359°N 8.33197°E / 50.11359; 8.33197 )
7800-437: The end of the 19th century, the capacity of the three western railway stations became increasingly inadequate, but changes were made more difficult by the territorial affiliations of the states surrounding the Free City of Frankfurt . After the annexation of Frankfurt, Nassau and Hesse-Kassel by Prussia in 1866, these obstacles were largely removed, so that planning for a central station was taken seriously. The inadequacy of
7920-411: The end of the duchy. After the Austrian defeat, Nassau was annexed by Prussia and became part of the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau . The deposed duke Adolph of Nassau in 1890 became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg (see House of Nassau ). This turned out to be a fortunate change for the city, as it then became an international spa town. A rise in construction commenced after the aristocracy followed
8040-404: The fact that the tunnel will continue to be used by only a single track allowed the construction of a new reinforced concrete inner tube with an all-round seal inside the old sandstone lining. Since the renovation work could take place only during the night and on weekends while operations were maintained on weekdays, the renovation was carried out intermittently in eight-metre sections. The tunnel
8160-444: The following extreme values: While evidence of settlement at present-day Wiesbaden dates back to the Neolithic era, historical records document continuous occupancy after the erection of a Roman fort in 6 AD which housed an auxiliary cavalry unit. The thermal springs of Wiesbaden are first mentioned in Pliny the Elder 's Naturalis Historia . They were famous for their recreation pools for Roman army horses and possibly as
8280-406: The freight route was closed and the section from the Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof to shortly before Erbenheim was used for the Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line . This section, covering relatively flat terrain in the Wäschbach valley, is now double-tracked and electrified. From Wiesbaden-Erbenheim, the route goes through the Ländchen , from which it takes its name. The elevation rises steadily to
8400-454: The idea of an inner-city connecting railway was taken up again in the 1960s, despite the fact that it was not economically justifiable. The construction of the underground railway systems began in 1971 with the B-Tunnel of the Frankfurt U-Bahn in the central city. A large shopping arcade (B level) was created as a distribution level, from which two four-track stations each—an underground station (C level) and an S-Bahn station (D level)—and
8520-416: The important status of the piano in post-war German homes. Wiesbaden has long been famous for its thermal springs and spa. Use of the thermal springs was first documented by the Romans. The business of spring bathing became important for Wiesbaden near the end of the Middle Ages . By 1370, 16 bath houses were in operation. By 1800, the city had 2,239 inhabitants and 23 bath houses. By 1900, Wiesbaden, with
8640-486: The interior design of the station and entrance halls as well as the underground station were also modernised. In the meantime, liquid-crystal displays have replaced the old split-flap displays on the platforms. As in Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof , seven cubic glass and steel pavilions have replaced the previous buildings on the transverse platform. In mid-2006, cubic and transparent lifts were also installed to connect
8760-544: The lead of the Hohenzollern emperors, who began annual trips to Wiesbaden. The period around the turn of the 20th century is regarded as the heyday of the city. Kaiser Wilhelm II visited the city regularly in summer, such that it became an unofficial "summer residence". The city was also popular among the Russian nobility. In the wake of the imperial court, numerous nobles, artists, and wealthy businessmen increasingly settled in
8880-514: The line has been integrated into the RMV uniform tariff. The proposed Stadtbahn Wiesbaden project would have involved the introduction of a regional light rail network under the Karlsruhe model and would have included the Ländches Railway. These plans were well advanced, but were abandoned with a change of political majorities in the city in 2001. At the beginning of November 2014, it was announced that
9000-572: The line was transferred from the railway division ( Eisenbahndirektionen ) of Frankfurt to the division of Mainz. The line originally began at the Ludwig Station ( Ludwigsbahnhof ) on Rheinstrasse in Wiesbaden, near the Taunus Station. In 1906, this station (as well as the Taunus Station) were replaced with the current Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof (main or central station). The route now begins on
9120-453: The line. Only expresses from Limburg to Wiesbaden ran non-stop between Niedernhausen and Wiesbaden. During low-traffic periods, operations with single railcars on the Ländches Railway were extended from Niedernhausen to Limburg . With the introduction of clock-face scheduling (trains scheduled at the same times every hour) on the Main-Lahn railway, the connecting traffic on the Ländches Railway
9240-512: The main axis was to be created on the area of the track fields of the Western stations that would be released from railway operations. This option also had the great advantage that operations could be carried out largely undisturbed during the construction phase, since the new station hardly affected the old lines. From 1880, the Bauakademie (Prussian Building Academy) held a competition involving all
9360-518: The main station. The subterranean S-Bahn station is the most important station in the S-Bahn Rhein-Main network, used by all Frankfurt S-Bahn lines, except line S 7 , which terminates at the surface station. Tram connections are offered by TraffiQ , with tram lines 11 and 12 (station Hauptbahnhof/Münchener Straße ), 14, 16, 17, 20, 21 and the Ebbelwei-Expreß . The lines U4 and U5 call at
9480-546: The major architects to design a "monument that challenged the highest artistic standards". In 1881, the winner of this architectural competition was that of the agricultural inspector and university master builder Hermann Eggert from Strasbourg in Alsace, from among the 55 designs submitted. He was commissioned with the planning and construction of the entrance building. The Berlin architect Johann Wilhelm Schwedler , who specialised in steel construction, scored second place. He became
9600-608: The nearby cities of Frankfurt am Main , Darmstadt , Offenbach am Main , and Hanau , and has a combined population exceeding 5.8 million. The city is located on the Rhine ( Upper Rhine ), at the foothills of the Taunus , opposite the Rhineland-Palatine capital of Mainz , and the city centre is located in the wide valley of the small Salzbach stream. Wiesbaden lies in the Rheingau wine-growing region , one of Germany's 13 wine regions . Three of Wiesbaden's boroughs were part of
9720-408: The nearest bus stop to others is a short distance away and the stop is not named after the station. The rebuilding of the Wiesbaden stations, which as announced would have begun in the spring of 2013, has been delayed. In December 2014, it was announced that the renovation works would begin in the spring 2016 and be completed in the autumn of 2016. Until 1906, the Ländches Railway ended in Wiesbaden at
9840-609: The north. North of the Auringen/Medenbach station, the line passes underneath the Cologne–Frankfurt HSL and then enters the 197-metre (646 ft) long "Grauer-Stein" tunnel beneath Bundesautobahn 3 and Bundesstraße 455 . The railway tunnel, which was built in 1878, was completely renewed from 1998 to 2000 for reasons of operational safety. The tunnel was originally designed for double track operation, but has had only one track since its opening. The large cross-section and
9960-418: The old city hall, was built in 1609 and 1610. No older buildings are preserved due to two fires in 1547 and 1561. In 1648, at the end of the devastating Thirty Years' War , chronicles tell that Wiesbaden had barely 40 residents left. In 1659, the County of Nassau-Weilburg was divided again. Wiesbaden became part of the County of Nassau-Usingen. In 1744, the seat of Nassau-Usingen was moved to Biebrich . In 1771,
10080-501: The passengers from rain, the former glass surfaces were partly closed with wood, a temporary solution that remained in place for almost 60 years. Offices that did not necessarily have to be on site for operational purposes were outsourced, the lost and found office for example to the Frankfurt-Höchst station. The station was fully electrified in 1956. A 22 meter high signal box tower was built between 1955 and 1957. In 1957, what
10200-446: The platform renovation cost €8.5m. In October 2020, the conversion of the B level and the entrance hall began, which will be completely redesigned within eight years. The federal government, DB, the city and the Frankfurt public transport company ( Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt ) are investing a total of €375m. By the end of 2024, the entrance hall is to be renovated first, followed by the forecourt. The capacity of some access routes
10320-546: The regional traffic is to be relocated to the north side. Among other things, the construction of a connecting curve known as the Kraftwerkskurve ("power station curve") from Frankfurt South to platform tracks 1 to 3 and the installation of additional sets of points in the apron of the station are planned by 2030. From June 2017 to November 2021, the Homburger embankment was upgraded in two ways. According to an estimate in 2017,
10440-595: The remaining counties of Nassau-Usingen and Nassau-Weilburg, formally left the Holy Roman Empire and joined in the Confederation of the Rhine . Napoleon was its "protector". Under pressure from Napoleon, both counties merged to form the Duchy of Nassau on 30 August 1806. At the 1815 Congress of Vienna , the Duchy of Nassau joined the German Confederation . The capital of Nassau was moved from Weilburg to Wiesbaden, and
10560-399: The roof were painted light gray as in the original condition and therefore appear lighter. The decorative rosettes in the gussets are now painted dark blue and are more easily seen. The entire construction process took place almost unnoticed ten metres above the heads of the travellers. An incident occurred shortly after work began. During welding work, part of the roof of the northern part of
10680-513: The routine in such a way that the platforms were moved by one field (9.3-metre (30 ft 6 in)) per hall every two weeks. Since then, screw connections instead of rivets have served as the means of fastening, although a specially developed rivet head screw was approved in individual cases by the Federal Railway Authority . The refurbishment of the station roof has allowed significantly more daylight to enter. The trusses that support
10800-461: The situation became apparent particularly during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, when troop movements were noticeably hampered by the scattered stations. Like the three western stations before it, the new station was to be built as a terminal station. First, a large station with 34 platform tracks was planned. Because of the huge dimensions, however, a variant with "only" 18 platform tracks
10920-613: The source of a mineral used for red hair dye (which was very fashionable around the turn of BC/AD among women in Rome). The Roman settlement is first mentioned using the name Aquae Mattiacorum ( Latin for "Waters of the Mattiaci") in 121. The Mattiaci were a Germanic tribe , possibly a branch of the neighboring Chatti , who lived in the vicinity at that time. The town also appears as Mattiacum in Ptolemy 's Geographia (2.10). The Roman Empire built
11040-419: The station building caught fire. The "North Ventilation Centre" was almost completely destroyed and had to be replaced. Since air continued to be sucked in during the fire, dirt and damage also occurred inside the building, especially on level B. A total of €117m was invested in the roof renovation. 80 percent of the costs were borne by the federal government. The facade was renovated in 2013. Other parts of
11160-691: The station profits greatly from its location in the heart of Europe; 13 of the 24 ICE lines call at the station, as well as 2 of the 3 ICE Sprinter lines. To ease the strain on the Hauptbahnhof, some ICE lines now call at Frankfurt Airport station and at Frankfurt (Main) Süd instead of Hauptbahnhof. With regard to regional traffic, Frankfurt Hbf is the main hub in the RMV network, offering connections to Koblenz , Limburg , Kassel , Nidda , Stockheim , Siegen , Fulda , Gießen , Aschaffenburg , Würzburg , Mannheim , Heidelberg , Dieburg , Eberbach , Worms and Saarbrücken with fifteen regional lines calling at
11280-491: The subterranean Stadtbahn stop. Construction of a railway tunnel with four platforms below the existing station was proposed in 2018 under the project name Fernbahntunnel Frankfurt am Main ( Long-distance railway tunnel Frankfurt am Main ). As being listed as "urgent need" in the Federal Infrastructure Plan 2030 , government funding for the scheme was secured. A study to determine feasibility of construction
11400-473: The twenty-six remaining years of ducal authority it was the residence of the ruling family. It later served as a secondary residence for the King of Prussia 1866 to 1918. It was later used as a headquarters for French and British occupying forces after World War I, then as a museum. Since 1945, the building has served as Landtag (parliamentary building) for the state of Hesse. The site of the palace had been that of
11520-482: The two outer small halls are 31 metres (101 ft 8 in) wide and 20 metres (65 ft 7 in) high. The transverse platform, which allows access to the 24 above-ground mainline tracks in the train shed, extends across the entire width of the halls, only the outer track 1a can only be reached indirectly via the platform on track 1. The platforms, which are at right angles to the transverse platform, are also connected by an underpass (transverse tunnel) connected to
11640-540: The uprisings of the German Peasants' War of 1525, Wiesbaden lost all its privileges for over 40 years. During this time, Wiesbaden became Protestant with the nomination of Wolf Denthener as first Lutheran pastor on 1 January 1543. The same day, the first Latin school was opened, preparing pupils for the gymnasium in Idstein . In 1566, the privileges of the city were restored. The oldest remaining building of Wiesbaden,
11760-645: The war of Emperor Frederick II against the Pope, the Archbishop of Mainz , Siegfried III , ordered the city's destruction. Wiesbaden returned to the control of the House of Nassau in 1270 under Count Walram II, Count of Nassau . However, Wiesbaden and the castle at Sonnenberg were again destroyed in 1283 in conflict with Eppstein . Walram's son and successor Adolf would later become king of Germany from 1292 until 1298. In 1329, under Adolf's son Gerlach I of Nassau-Weilburg
11880-593: The west side of the Central Station and crosses, in the vicinity of the Hammermühle , the tracks to and from Wiesbaden-East and Wiesbaden-Biebrich . Originally, a freight line from Wiesbaden-East paralleled the Ländches Railway from this overpass to the Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Erbenheim, so that the two-way tracks were side by side on the same embankment, almost to the Erbenheim passenger station. In 2002
12000-514: The west. Outside the platform halls, the platforms continue with canopies from different eras. The station's terminal layout has posed some unique problems ever since the late 20th century, since all trains have to change directions and reverse out of the station to continue on to their destination. This causes long turn-around times and places the passengers in the opposite direction of where they had been sitting. There have been several attempts to change this. The last project, called Frankfurt 21 ,
12120-480: The widening was gained by demolishing the baggage platforms, which were no longer used. From 2002 to 2006, the listed roofs of the five platform halls were completely renewed during operation, taking into account heritage preservation issues. A total of around 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft) of roof and wall cladding, including around 30,000 square metres (320,000 sq ft) of glass, were renewed and 5,000 tons of steel replaced. A special routine
12240-447: Was a Nassauian city. From 1170 to 1629, it lay in the County of Nassau , and from 1629 to 1721, it was in the county and later principality of Nassau-Idstein, all of which were territories within the Holy Roman Empire ruled by branches of the House of Nassau . In 1728, the city found itself in the principality of Nassau-Usingen , and in 1744, Biebrich Palace became the main residence of
12360-507: Was also possible to operate the loudspeaker system. Even though stocks such as canned food are no longer stored today, the technical systems (air filter systems, power generators) are still fully operational. In the early 1970s, the platform ticket requirement was abolished and the platform barriers were dismantled. The two platforms on tracks 6 to 9 were widened, raised and lengthened for the introduction of ICE operations in June 1991. The space for
12480-478: Was also systematised. In the 1970s, a pair of diesel multiple units ran from Au (Sieg) to Mainz on the Ländches Railway, connecting the Westerwald with the capital cities of Wiesbaden and Mainz . From 2004 to December 2014, the traffic on the Ländches Railway was exclusively operated by Vectus Verkehrsgesellschaft of Limburg, using LINT railcars . Since the founding of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV),
12600-493: Was attacked by both RAF and United States Air Force bombers on 66 days. In the attacks, about 18% of the city's homes were destroyed. During the war, more than 25% of the city's buildings were damaged or worse and 1,700 people were killed. Wiesbaden was the location of a camp for Sinti and Romani people (see Romani Holocaust ), and two subcamps of the Hinzert concentration camp , mostly for Luxembourgish prisoners. Wiesbaden
12720-434: Was captured by U.S. Army forces on 28 March 1945. The U.S. 317th Infantry Regiment attacked in assault boats across the Rhine from Mainz while the 319th Infantry attacked across the river Main near Hochheim am Main . The attack started at 01:00 and by early afternoon the two forces of the 80th U.S. Infantry Division had linked up with the loss of only three dead and three missing. The Americans captured 900 German soldiers and
12840-511: Was commissioned. The entry and exit speeds were increased from 30 km/h (18.6 mph) to 40 to 60 km/h (24.9 to 37.3 mph) and new running options were created with additional points. A platform changeover was introduced on all access routes, and 13 platform tracks of the main station were also divided into two sections (with train detection signals). The system comprises a total of 845 control units, including 340 switches and track closures as well as 67 main signals. The interlocking
12960-413: Was considered the largest and most modern signal box in Europe at the time it was commissioned. Since 27 March 1986, circuit changes at the signal box had been prohibited due to age-related signs of wear, the stress on the system and the insulation of the interior wiring. The new signal box is divided into two sub-centres (north and south) and was the largest two-storey signal box building in Germany when it
13080-409: Was developed as an assembly concept for this basic repair. At a height of ten meters, an assembly and transport platform was drawn in over the length of the roof for the duration of the construction work. Tower cranes were installed in the central area of this platform. Some loads of up to 150 tons per support were lowered to the basement and foundations were built there. All work steps were integrated in
13200-522: Was extended to include Lorraine , including Nancy , and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg . The commander was General der Infanterie Walther Schroth . Wehrkreis XII was made up of three subordinate regions: Bereich Hauptsitze Koblenz , Mannheim and Metz . During the war, Wiesbaden was, between August 1940 and the end of 1942, bombed by the Royal Air Force and from 1943 through to March 1945,
13320-433: Was fully developed by around 1900. Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof was the largest station in Europe until Leipzig Hauptbahnhof was built in 1915. The station was designed for regular services. The entry and exit tracks of each line lay next to each other. On the evening of the opening day, a train was unable to stop in time and ran over the buffer stop. The locomotive and the pavement of the transverse platform were damaged. This
13440-598: Was headquartered at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield , just off the autobahn toward Frankfurt, until the Division completed relocation to Fort Bliss, Texas, in 2011. Wiesbaden is now home to the U.S. Army Europe Headquarters and the General John Shalikashvili Mission Command Center. In 1962, the American artists George Maciunas , Dick Higgins and Alison Knowles traveled to Europe to promote
13560-556: Was later discontinued, and in view of the increased number of passengers, there was no longer any room for safe operation. Planning began in 1998, and implementation at the end of 2001, of a computer-based interlocking of the SIMIS C type, the four-stage commissioning of which was completed on 27 November 2005. It replaces the track control signal box from 1957, which handled a total of around 20 million trains and 100 million shunting trips. The "Fpf" signal box located between tracks 9 and 10
13680-417: Was renewed in November 2005 in preparation for the 2006 World Cup. Replacing of the partly outdated signage made a quick and easy orientation within the station possible. Finishing in 2007, the floors and the cladding of the stairs, which had not been renewed for decades, were uniformly covered with black granite from China. Following this, a redesign of the station forecourt, the B level and the S-Bahn station
13800-414: Was set up under the station. 15 million pieces of luggage and express goods alone were handled annually in these years. The facilities also included a supply centre for the station and the dining cars, with its own confectionery, large bakery and butcher's shop. Two railway post offices were also part of the extensive facilities, as were 70 freight lifts. As a result of growing inner-city traffic congestion,
13920-478: Was shelved in 2001 due to a lack of funding. The RheinMain plus project was then pursued. Deutsche Bahn is planning to separate long-distance and regional traffic from the direction of Mannheim, Mainz and the Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line . Almost all long-distance traffic is to be concentrated on the south side of the station, on platforms 1 to 8, and conflicts between routes are to be reduced. Part of
14040-467: Was the beginning of a whole series of such incidents, which caused some ridicule in the press. The "highlight" was the "sweeping" crossing of the locomotive of the Ostend-Wien-Express on 6 December 1901. The locomotive and tender only came to a stop near the first and second class waiting room. Many engine drivers therefore drove very carefully into the station and came to a stop some distance from
14160-417: Was then the largest and most modern track signal box in Europe (with a train number signalling system) was put into operation. 16 operators controlled the 15,000 relay system. The building erected near tracks 9 and 10 is now a listed building. Also in 1957, nine steam shunting locomotives were replaced by seven diesel shunting locomotives. In the early 1960s, Germany's largest express freight handling facility
14280-483: Was to put the whole station underground, connect it with tunnels also to the east, and so avoid the disadvantages of the terminal layout. This would be financed by selling the air rights over the area now used for tracks as building ground for a skyscraper, but this soon proved unrealistic, and the project was abandoned. Frankfurt is the third-busiest railway station outside Japan and the second-busiest in Germany after Hamburg Hauptbahnhof . As for long-distance traffic,
14400-491: Was used. Mail and goods handling was to take place under the station hall, local traffic was to be handled outside, which was realised by the main freight yard built later. The town council, which only got a say in 1875, also wanted the railway facilities relocated from the Anlagenring (the ring of roads and parklands on the demolished walls surrounding the inner city) to the former gallows field. A new district with Kaiserstraße as
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