History Berlin Friedrichstraße station

1 history

1.1 initial station
1.2 extensions , remodel
1.3 border crossing during cold war
1.4 after fall of berlin wall present

history
the initial station

the first friedrichstrasse station in 1900; view west across river spree



the train shed of first station;

engraving after original architectural drawing published in 1885

in 1878, first station built after plans johannes vollmer between friedrichstraße , river spree part of berlin stadtbahn construction. architect working on neighbouring hackescher markt station @ same time. elevated viaduct station integrated into, station rests on large arches built masonry. station had 2 platforms 2 tracks each, covered large, curved train shed rested on steel trusses of different length cover curvature of viaduct underneath. main entrance on northern side, pick-up horse carriages on south side. station opening on 7 february 1882, part of ceremonial opening of berlin stadtbahn. long distance trains started on 15 may same year.

extensions , remodel

the south side of remodeled station in 1926



destruction around station after world war ii



flooded s-bahn tunnel under friedrichstrasse station

because of large amounts of traffic going through station before world war i, plans made in 1914 extend station. there new, elevated platform on northern side s-bahn, , existing platforms had been made narrower, leaving 1 platform s-bahn, , 2 platforms long distance trains. steel-truss, double arched train shed built between 1919 , 1925, featuring large glass fronts. on northern side of building, 2 entry halls in expressionist style built, , whole northern side covered characteristic dark tile. southern facade plastered until last renovation in 1999, when covered tile.

in 1923, friedrichstrasse underground station line c (today s u6 , southeastern u7) finished, creating first part of underground maze station still has today.

at beginning of 1930s, construction began again @ friedrichstrasse station, north-south tunnel of s-bahn driven under station. long pedestrian tunnel connecting underground station of same name berlin u-bahn driven under northern end of station, , underground station received characteristic yellow tile still featured today. on 27 july 1936, before 1936 summer olympics, underground s-bahn station opened.

after kristallnacht , starting 1 december 1938, thousands of jewish children started or passed through station leave germany part of refugee children movement.

the station bombed polish sabotage , diversionary squad zagra-lin in 1943, 14 people dead , 27 wounded.

it escaped major damage during bombing of berlin in world war ii. u-bahn , s-bahn ceased operations on 23 , 25 april 1945, respectively, due shortage of electricity. during morning of 2 may 1945, day berlin capitulated, detonation of north-south tunnel under landwehrkanal, caused flooding of tunnel, including friedrichstraße s belowground s-bahn station along large part of berlin underground system via connecting tunnel between s-bahn , berlin u-bahn @ respective friedrichstrasse stations.

reconstruction started in 1945. trains first returned facilities above ground. end of may , june 1945 bvg, operator of berlin s u-bahn, had sealed pedestrian tunnel between tunnel s-bahn , u-bahn station stop water flooding underground tunnel. reichsbahn, operator of s-bahn, had declared lacked means close tunnel leaks. on 4 june bvg started drainage of underground system. on 12 july underground reopened friedrichstraße station 2 one-track shuttle operations, 1 north , 1 south meeting there, regular two-track traffic restarted on since 5 december 1945. reichsbahn drained north-south tunnel later , reopened below-ground s-bahn service on 2 june 1946. on 1 december same year north-south tunnel , friedrichstraße below-ground s-bahn station shut again extensive refurbishment lasted until 16 october 1947, when north-south tunnel operational again.

border crossing during cold war

location of friedrichstraße station in east berlin during cold war.



sketch of border crossing friedrichstrasse station. traffic east berlin marked red, traffic west berlin marked blue, , areas accessible east german citizens marked green



the station in 1950s



border crossing @ station in 1964



passport stamp of border crossing friedrichstrasse



the outside of tränenpalast or palace of tears many goodbyes said when people left west berlin or other places in west.



platform b (s-bahn west), november 1989



ddr passport control november 1989

during onset of cold war , tensions between western , soviet-occupied sectors of berlin, friedrichstrasse station played important role citizens of berlin reach friends , relatives in other sectors of berlin. @ end of 1946, soviet military administration in germany had created east german border police tasked preventing republikflucht (escape east german republic). erection of inner german border in 1952, east germany large degree sealed off west. however, berlin, , in particular public transport system criss-crossed between western allied , soviet sectors still hole in iron curtain. accordingly, berlin became main route east germans left west. 3.5 million east germans had left 1961 totaled approximately 20% of entire east german population, many using friedrichstrasse station bustling traffic starting point escape. during uprising of 1953 in east germany , east berlin, reichsbahn national railway stopped s-bahn transport between 17 june , 9 july 1953.

when east german government erected berlin wall on 13 august 1961, severed u-bahn, s-bahn , long distance train connections criss-crossed through berlin. district of berlin mitte, friedrichstrasse station located, surrounded in northerly, westerly , southerly directions western sectors: s-bahn @ friedrichstrasse station, next station west across wall in west berlin, north 3 more stops in soviet sector , 2 south. situation similar u6 metro underneath friedrichstrasse, had 3 stations north , 2 stations south before crossing wall.

therefore, despite being wholly located in east berlin, of station s underground facilities, namely s-bahn platform of north-south tunnel , underground station, accessible passengers western sectors transfer station, or access border crossing @ ground level.

the facilities above ground, on arches of stadtbahn, separated along platforms:

platform used long distance trains. included so-called interzonenzüge, trains running non-stop berlin through east german territory west germany. trains friedrichstrasse station terminus. platform stop trains international destinations such copenhagen, stockholm (using ferry connection between sassnitz , trelleborg) or legendary paris - moscow express. latter not boarded east german passengers @ station; board train @ next stop berlin ostbahnhof.
platform b became terminus stadtbahn arriving west berlin , wannsee , staaken. passengers able transfer underground lines of s-bahn , u-bahn, or long distance trains without entering east germany.
platform c in smaller train shed on north side used traffic going east berlin , east germany, became terminus stadtbahn lines erkner, königs wusterhausen, strausberg nord, ahrensfelde, wartenberg, , berlin-schönefeld airport.

between platforms b , c metal-glass barrier practically fulfilled same function berlin wall: east german border troops had separated station 2 isolated areas, both under armed control, 1 people within east berlin , other transit travellers, persons switching between different westbound train lines , few easterners hard-to-obtain exit visa, within 1 station building maze of connecting hallways, barriers, numerous cameras, armed guards sniffer dogs, plain-clothes agents, , loggia under roof surveillance armed border patrol , stasi officers.

tracks between western , eastern systems were, aside long distance tracks, separated. s-bahn trains using heavily guarded passing track west of platform c required permission commander of border guard detail. exchange of rolling stock between divided s-bahn segments of berlin possible via long distance tracks on platform a. these tracks equipped derailers prevent escape attempts.

at ground level, between elevated , underground part of station, facilities crossing east berlin. included 3 individual passport checks, customs control, waiting rooms (since crossing take anywhere 15 minutes several hours), interrogation rooms, holding cells, offices register , record people crossing border, , counter visa fees , (mandatory) currency exchange.

due location in central berlin, many shops, offices, official buildings, embassies, hotels, cultural , entertainment (friedrichstadtpalast, metropol theatre house, opera house, museum island), being border crossing, traffic in station enormous. in beginning after wall had been built, both eastbound , westbound border traffic controlled on ground level. these rather constrained circumstances, compounded traffic in , around station, led construction of building on square north of station, connected main station. new building used westbound border crossings, separate checkpoints citizens of west berlin, citizens of west germany, foreigners , diplomats, transit travellers, , east german citizens. on door guard station separate people permitted cross border ineligible, leading many tearful goodbyes in front of building. gave building moniker tränenpalast ( palace of tears ).

on southern side of station building so-called service entry (diensteingang) personnel of deutsche reichsbahn (the east german national railways). entry led through own control room , then, via several corridors, door on ground floor of western side. entry used infiltrate , exfiltrate agents of east german intelligence service, , allow members of west german communist party , west berlin socialist party pass without being checked or recorded. secret pathway between 2 cold war fronts escape route members of west german terror organization red army faction avoid arrest in west germany. on 7 july 1976 officially-wanted movement 2 june members inge viett, monika berberich, gabrielle rollnick, , juliane plambeck escaped following escape prison, , on 27 may 1978 till meyer, escaped east germany via friedrichstrasse station, though did not stay there. viett later escaped east germany again , stayed there until fall of berlin wall. in opposite direction, on january 18, 1979, east german double agent werner stiller used path escape west.

the railway station held attraction during cold war. ground level , underground platforms on western side of station had called intershops, created travellers west berlin did not want pass through east german border controls. mobile trollies offering alcohol , tobacco, shops integrated station offering food, alcohol, tobacco, books, toys, jewellery, cosmetics, gift items, , more. 1 disembark u-bahn, make purchase, , on next train , go west berlin, without going through east german border controls. purchases made convertible currency, such u.s. dollars, french francs, pounds sterling, swiss francs, , west german deutschmark. merchandise offered duty-free, made alcohol , tobacco products particularly attractive passengers west berlin. known west berlin customs agency, checked travellers coming friedrichstrasse @ first station in west berlin.

between 1985 , 1987, minor renovation of train shed took place, middle wooden roofing section replaced glass. lighting replaced , metal parts of shed painted.

after fall of berlin wall present

thousands of east berliners line @ station cross west berlin on 10 november 1989, day after fall of wall



crowds going through checkpoints inside palace of tears in 1990.



all smiles while undergoing immigration checks in 1990.



underground s-bahn station. s1, s2 , s25 stop @ station



the renovated station, restored terra cotta clinker bricks wall covering



platform , train shed on berlin stadtbahn viaduct



the berlin u-bahn station of friedrichstraße station

immediately after fall of berlin wall, traffic s-bahn in berlin long distance train traffic , berlin increased dramatically. @ first, ease travel between east- , west-berlin, walls , barriers built separate station removed. july 1990, severed tracks on platform c reconnected, , after 29 years, there again uninterrupted traffic on stadtbahn viaduct line berlin alexanderplatz station berlin zoo station. little maintenance had been done station during east german years, , underground section looked relic different time.

between august 1991 , february 1992, north-south s-bahn tunnel including underground section of friedrichstrasse station closed complete overhaul. between october 1995 , september 1999, ground level , raised level on stadtbahn viaduct renovated, costing deutsche bahn total of 220 million deutschmarks. façade of building covered terra cotta clinker bricks original building had, time including southern face of building. additional tunnel traffic u-bahn u6 driven under station, , elevators added between floors. 5,200 square metres (56,000 sq ft) ground floor converted shopping area 50 businesses. since reopening, regional trains stop on platform , b.

beginning in 2002, north-south s-bahn tunnel again renovated, removed last traces of east germany friedrichstrasse station - green tiles covering walls.

on 30 november 2008, memorial unveiled 10,000 jewish children saved refugee children movement, , deported, started journey @ station. frank meisler, sculptor of memorial, himself saved 1 of trains bound london liverpool street station (where similar memorial marks children s arrival).

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