The Hamburger Hauptbahnhof is situated east of the city centre and is regarded the most frequented main station in germany with about 500.000 travellers daily. It was errected 1902-1906 after plans of the Charlottenburg based architects Heinrich Reinhardt and Georg Süßenguth. It replaced several older train stations scattered around the centre. The large plattform hall spans 73 metres in width and covers 12 platforms. The two clock towers on either side stand 45 metres tall. The building is regarded to be quoting the Galerie des Machines which was errected for the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889.
The construction was done by the prussian railway administration and therefore this northern front facade of the station is bearing two large stone reliefs, showing the emblems of Prussia as well as Hamburg. While the station was covered with a camouflage cover during world war II it was still hit several times and severely damged. In the late 1940s however it was decided to rebuilt the historic building instead of constructing a new main station.
Hamburg Streetlines Archive
