The main railway station in this panorama is located in the tranquil town of Stendal, the “Altmark metropolis”. Nevertheless, we see a building with a remarkable appearance and dimensions. Actually partially obscured by a row of trees, our panorama conveys a building front in which, at first glance, a hint of North German brick Gothic is visible in the two dominant gable fronts. At second glance, you realise that typical industrial architecture has been implemented here, which has been effectively enhanced by the two gables to create a symmetrical whole. The fact that the symmetry is slightly broken towards the wing buildings on both sides is also clearly visible here. The reason for this lies in the addition of a storey to the connecting building to the right-hand former post office wing in 1913.
The town received its first railway connection in 1849 with the Magdeburg-Wittenberg railway. The main railway station was built between 1869 and 1871 during the period of industrialisation, when Stendal became the region’s railway hub as a result of connections to Berlin, Lehrte and Uelzen. It is not known whether an architect was specifically responsible for the construction. Since my photo was taken in 2017, the station has been expanded and modernised to make it barrier-free.
The book “Stendal und die Eisenbahn” by Wolfgang List describes the building in detail. Here you can also learn about the historical use of all sections of the building: The left-hand extension housed the express goods check-in, the central main building housed, from left to right, the reception hall, the 3rd/4th class waiting room, the 1st/2nd class waiting room and the Fürstenzimmer/Kaisersaal as well as the ladies’ room. The final extension on the right was the post office wing/telegraph room.
