Gare de Strasbourg

Gare de Strasbourg-Ville / Strasbourg-Ville train station “Strasbourg Central Station”
In the Gare-Kléber district near the train station, the monumental architecture of the Wilhelmine period (1870-1918) is still omnipresent.
THE STRASBOURG MAIN STATION – A STRATEGIC BUILDING FOR THE GERMAN EMPIRE
In 2007, the historic Strasbourg Central Station was covered with a voluminous glass dome and completely modernized.
In 1883, Strasbourg Central Station was one of the first public buildings of the Prussian authorities in the Reichsland. The neo-Renaissance style train station was designed by the Berlin architect Johann Eduard Jacobsthal and was built on the site of the former Vauban fortifications.
According to the prevailing ideology of the time, the images and decorations inside the station glorified the Alsace-Lorraine empire, establishing a connection between the old Hohenstaufen empire and the new power of Emperor Wilhelm I of Hohenzollern. This intention was particularly clear in two large frescoes in the entrance hall, where Friedrich Barbarossa, on his visit to Haguenau in 1164, sits opposite Emperor Wilhelm I on his visit to Strasbourg in 1877. This decoration was eliminated when Strasbourg was reannexed to France. Only the two statues of trade and agriculture and the allegorical bas-reliefs of Alsace and Lorraine by Berliner Otto Geyer remain. In addition to the unchanged station building, there are also the richly decorated imperial apartments, which lead directly onto the platform, as well as the neo-Gothic roofing that was installed over the platforms to protect passengers.
Text / Source: CITY AND EUROMETROPOLE STRASBOUR, 1 parc de l'Étoile, 67076 Strasbourg Cedex
int.strasbourg.eu/de/hauptbahnhof

The Gare de Strasbourg train station (also often called “Strasbourg Central Station” in German) is the central train station of the Alsatian capital Strasbourg. The inner former train station building is specially protected as a monument. With 21 million travelers in 2019, it is one of the most important train stations in France
In 2006 and 2007 the station underwent significant renovations. With a glass wall placed in front of the reception building, which is curved at the top and connects to the facade of the building, a new anteroom was created, under which an additional basement was also created.
When I arrived, I initially thought that Strasbourg had a super modern, spacey train station, until I noticed that "only" a glass facade framed the old listed building.

Today's Strasbourg train station is the city’s second train station. The first station, inaugurated on September 15, 1854, was a terminus station and was located at today's place des halles. It was partially destroyed in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 and rebuilt under German administration from a military point of view. In 1974 it was demolished, [1] today there is a shopping center on the site.


Strasbourg train station around 1905
The construction of today's station goes back to the construction activities of the German Empire. The station was built on the site of the Strasbourg Vauban fortifications. Construction work began in 1878 based on a design by the Berlin architect Johann Eduard Jacobsthal. The station was inaugurated on August 15, 1883 and replaced the old Strasbourg terminus. However, the construction work was not finally completed until 1898. The station originally served not only as a passenger, but also as a freight and shunting yard.

Between 1901 and 1906, a post office and a police building were added on either side of the reception building. The marshalling yard was moved to the outskirts of Strasbourg in 1906 (Hausbergen station, closed in 2006). The freight yard followed in the years 1912 to 1914. Three new platform tracks were added by 1936. Source: Wikepedia