Budapest-Nyugati Railway Terminal
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The Budapest Nyugati railway station palyaudvar (abbreviated Nyugati pu, German: Westbahnhof ) is next to the train stations Keleti railway and Deli palyaudvar one of the three major international railway stations in Hungary's capital Budapest. From an architectural point of view he is regarded as the most interesting station construction in the city.
Location
The station is located at Nyugati tér on the Pest side in the VI. District. North is adjacent to one of the largest shopping centers of Budapest to find the Westend City Center.
Immediately outside the station at Nyugati tér is the stop Nyugati palyaudvar Metro line M3. In addition, there hold several tram lines, on the one hand circumnavigate the downtown Pest ring, on the other hand, as also holding there bus routes across the Danube in Buda.
Although the station is on the eastern side of the Danube, in the northern part of Pest, they decided on the name Westbahnhof, because the trains were leaving from here to the West, especially to Vienna.
History
From here went on July 15, 1846, the first steam-powered train in Hungary in the 35 kilometers upriver location Vac. From this point on the railway age began in Hungary. In the years 1890-1914 alone caused more than 11,000 kilometers of track, which is about half of the current (as of 2000) corresponds railway network. Lots of interesting station buildings were constructed, which had partially reserved special waiting rooms with marble walls and a luxurious setting for royal visits. So is also conserved in the western train station waiting hall for the royal family, visible from the outside of the mounted above the entrance motto of King Francis Joseph, Viribus unitis.
In the late 1980s the building structure was ravaged by age. For a renovation of the building but the city had no money. 1990 was looking for an investor for the former station restaurant and found him in the fast-food chain McDonald 's. It was not easy to adapt the architecturally interesting rooms of the station restaurants the needs of a modern fast-food restaurants. But it was possible both to unite in an overall concept and to address the typical Budapest coffee house tradition in the form of a McCafé. From the Café Gerbeaud, one of the most famous coffee houses of Budapest, cafe with cakes and biscuits will be supplied.
Construction
Was built in the current station building 1874-1877 by the company " Eiffel & Cie" under the supervision of Gustave Eiffel, as a replacement for the original station building, which no longer met the needs of the rapidly growing rail transport. It was designed as a typical head station.
The official tender for the construction of the station won the Parisian architectural firm of Gustave Eiffel, which came a few years later by the construction of the Eiffel Tower to world fame.
The construction of the main hall was started in 1874, with the difficulty lay not only in architecture but also in not interfering with the railway in the subjacent old, built in 1846 concourse. It was decided to build the new larger hall during rail operations over the old hall. 1877 could complete the construction of the imposing iron construction and demolish the old concourse.
In 1911, the depot was inaugurated as the Railway Museum Budapest Europe is the largest railway museum.
Architecture
Striking is the large glass facade of the Western Railway Station with the three far-projecting entrance doors. Behind it is the built of steel and glass central hall of the architect Gustave Eiffel, which is located auszeichnet.Beachtenswert by their transparency and ease the station restaurant, which, although now run by an international fast -food group, but largely preserved in its original form could be.
Eiffel took up the of a French railway engineer back in the first half of the 19th century developed Polonceau carrier. This special type of support was highly suitable for long-span concourses and was for many famous train stations, as used, for example the Gare du Nord in Paris. At the beginning of the 20th century, the principle of Polonceau binder was used primarily for the construction of sports halls.
Data
- Length of the train stations: 146 m
- Span of Halls: 42 m
- Height of the central hall: 25 m
Trip down memory lane
The Hungarian railway company MÁV offers as part of its summer program runs in nostalgic Hungarian trains. From early April to late October start every second Saturday trains from the train station to the Danube Bend.