Remember the bustling heart of freight transport in Nuremberg. I am talking about Nuremberg Hauptgüterbahnhof. This was no ordinary station. It was a crucial hub dedicated solely to handling goods.
Let’s step back to the late 19th century. Nuremberg’s population was booming. The amount of freight needing handling exploded. In 1860 about 250000 tons were handled. By 1900 this figure had skyrocketed to 1.85 million tons. The Centralbahnhof now Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof struggled to cope. Space became a premium. Capacity was stretched to its limit. A new location was essential. This would relieve pressure on passenger traffic.
In 1865 the Nuremberg City Council proposed a new site in Gostenhof. It was west of the city near the Nuremberg-Fürth railway line. This location offered ample space. It also had access to the Ludwig-Donau-Main Canal. Industrial companies in eastern Nuremberg wanted a new station east of the Centralbahnhof. Those in Fürth and western Nuremberg protested. A compromise was reached.
Between 1867 and 1876 the new Hauptgüterbahnhof was built in Kohlenhof. This location was squeezed between Kohlenhofstraße and the Steinbühler Tunnel. The limited space quickly became a problem. By 1892 the situation was critical. Nuremberg’s Mayor Georg von Schuh highlighted the dire conditions. He said the city’s freight and passenger transport were miserable and unsustainable.
The Bavarian State Railway Administration developed a new concept. It planned a new marshalling yard in the Lorenzer Reichswald. This yard would require about 340 hectares. It would allow freight traffic to bypass the Centralbahnhof. The Centralbahnhof was the bottleneck for seven main lines into Nuremberg.
After the new marshalling yard opened in 1903 Hauptgüterbahnhof served local freight traffic. A connecting line between the marshalling yard and Hauptgüterbahnhof opened in 1907. This railway line stretched for about 5.9 kilometers. In 1976 Deutsche Bundesbahn stopped handling general cargo at many Nuremberg freight stations. Hauptgüterbahnhof along with Südbahnhof and Fürth Hauptbahnhof became the sole transshipment points.
The 12th German Logistics Congress decided to reduce the number of freight stations in Germany to 35 by 2000. Consequently freight handling at Hauptgüterbahnhof ceased in 1999. Until 2015 the old warehouses housed several discotheques. The track facilities were used as sidings until 2010. The signal box 1 Nuremberg-Hauptgüterbahnhof was decommissioned in August 2010. It had been in service for 64 years.
In mid-2017 demolition work began. A new commercial park is planned for the site. The Frankenschnellweg will be upgraded for better access. GfK planned to move its headquarters to Kohlenhof by 2019. Construction began in April 2018. Aurelis will revitalize the former main building by 2020. It will serve as a historical anchor for the area. Besides office space it will offer retail and dining options.
Today the Nuremberg Hauptgüterbahnhof may no longer function as a freight hub but its story remains. It shows Nuremberg’s industrial past and its constant evolution. The revitalization project ensures that the memory of this once vital railway station is not forgotten.