ehem. Anhalter Bahn

Whispers of grandeur still cling to the air here at the ehem. Anhalter Bahn. It’s hard to believe, looking at the surviving facade, that this was once Berlin’s “Gateway to the South,” a bustling terminus connecting Berlin to destinations as far-flung as Athens. The ehem. Anhalter Bahn, opened in 1841, wasn’t always the grand station it became. It started modestly, growing alongside the expanding German rail network. By 1880, under the watchful eye of architect Franz Heinrich Schwechten, it transformed into Germany’s largest station, a symbol of its era. Imagine the scene: Kaiser Wilhelm I and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck inaugurating the magnificent structure. Its facade, adorned with sculptures of Day and Night, welcomed travelers into a lavish booking hall. Inside, separate waiting rooms catered to four classes of passengers, a testament to the social hierarchy of the time. The ehem. Anhalter Bahn even had a royal reception area, frequently used by visiting dignitaries. Behind this opulence lay an enormous train shed, a marvel of engineering capable of sheltering 40,000 people. The station’s significance grew in 1882 with the closure of the Dresdner Bahnhof. The ehem. Anhalter Bahn inherited its routes, solidifying its status as the main departure point for journeys south. In the 1930s, this station throbbed with activity, dispatching trains every few minutes, carrying millions annually. A tunnel, then considered the world’s longest of its kind, connected the station to the Hotel Excelsior. Yet, despite its prominence, the ehem. Anhalter Bahn was slated for demolition under Hitler’s Germania plan. It was to become, of all things, a swimming pool. But World War II intervened, leaving its own devastating mark. From 1941 to 1945, the ehem. Anhalter Bahn became a point of departure for thousands of Berlin’s Jewish population. Deportations to Theresienstadt, and from there to other camps, unfolded within the station’s walls, casting a long shadow over its history. Bombing raids further ravaged the structure. Although some train service resumed after the war, the Cold War sealed the station’s fate. In 1952, all trains were redirected to the Ostbahnhof in East Berlin. After years of neglect, the ehem. Anhalter Bahn, once a symbol of connection and progress, was demolished, leaving only the poignant facade as a reminder of its vibrant past.