Bratislava main railway station
Bratislava hlavná stanica | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 View of the main entrance to the station | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Námestie Franza Liszta 1 Bratislava I 811 01 Bratislava  Bratislava Region Slovakia | ||||
| Elevation | 130 m (430 ft) | ||||
| Owned by | Železnice Slovenskej republiky (ŽSR) | ||||
| Operated by | Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko (ŽSSK), RegioJet (RJ) | ||||
| Platforms | 6 | ||||
| Connections | Tram: Discontinued since November 2011 Bus: City buses and trolleybuses | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 20 August 1848 | ||||
| Rebuilt | 1850, 1988 | ||||
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Bratislava hlavná stanica (abbreviated Bratislava hl.st.; Former names German: Pressburger Hauptbahnhof; Template:Lang-hu) is the main railway station in Bratislava, Slovakia.[1] It is located near Šancová street, around 1 km or a 15 min walk north from the Old Town.[2]
Trains from this station depart to Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia (in summer), Poland and the rest of Slovakia.
History
The first station building, a two storey building at Šancová 1, now serves as the headquarters of the railway police. It was built in 1848 as the terminus for the Vienna - Gänserndorf - Bratislava (Pressburg) and Břeclav - Bratislava (Pressburg) lines. The second building, which is used to this day, was built after the completion of the Budapest - Párkány (Štúrovo) - Bratislava line in 1905 to the design of Ferenc Pfaff, who was the Hungarian state railway's main architect at the time. Originally it was built in eclectic style, however in 1960 it underwent a major reconstruction, when the exterior was completely changed to be more "socialist" in nature. The frescos were added to the interior at the same time. The foyer, colloquially called "Skleník" (meaning "greenhouse"), was added to the second building in 1987 as an extension. This third building is scheduled to be demolished during the reconstruction of Námestie Franza Liszta (literally "the square in front of the station") which is yet to begin.[3]
In 1883, a connection was added to the Bratislava-Rača station, which was connected to the line to Žilina. The line to the Nové Mesto station is the most recently added line, and it was built in 1962
At first, the station also had freight loading and unloading facilities. One unique feature was the "vínovod" ("wine transport system"), which consisted of tubing from the station to the Palugyay family's wine cellars.[2] Gravity flow drew wine from trains into barrels in the cellars.[4] The station also had a ropeway conveyor to the Patrónka (cartride factory) which produced ammunition cartridges, colloquially known as "patróny". As passenger traffic increased, freight operations were progressively relocated to other stations in the city.
The station's engine house by the stabling yard was built after the removal of the old stabling yard, which was formerly in the space occupied by platforms 3-5.
On January 1, 1919, as Czechoslovak troops were about to enter the city, negotiations between representatives of the Pressburg population, led by Paul Wittich, and Entente officers, led by the Italian Colonel Barreca, took place at the Pressburg railway station.[5]
Current situation
Current rail traffic exceeds the station's track capacity, which occasionally becomes evident in a domino effect caused by delayed trains. One suggested solution is to transfer some of the trains to the Nové Mesto and Petržalka stations, which currently have unused track capacity.
Future reconstruction
Since 2000, there have been plans to reconstruct not only the station but also the surrounding area, most importantly Námestie Franza Liszta.[3] The investor is the company I.P.R. Slovakia and the cost was estimated at €232,357,432 in 2008. In 2003, the Bratislava City Magistrate agreed with the project. In 2006, the Old Town district of Bratislava and the Regional Environment Office decided to allow I.P.R. Slovakia to cut down 630 trees worth €230,000 and shrubs worth of €14,000. The decision is final and according to experts, when executed it will forever change the micro-climate of the area.[6] Since 1 September 2007 a new City plan came into effect in Bratislava and in 2008 the Old Town district informed the investor that he needs another agreement from the Bratislava City Magistrate.
Access
Bratislava hlavná stanica serves as the hub for the local public transport service (MHD). It can thus be conveniently accessed from all parts of Bratislava. Many buses and trolleybuses terminate here as well as almost all of the night buses for which station serves as the hub.
Tram services were discontinued on 2 November 2011 until the tram track can be reconstructed. In 2012 the government allocated part of a €420m transport funding package towards the construction of a segregated light rail line from Bratislava hlavná to Šafárikovo Námestie and Janíkov Dvor, and modernisation of the existing tram route to Dúbravka.[7]
Military shelter
Bratislava hlavná stanica features one of the city's major war shelters built during the communist era, to protect citizens from air raids or attacks with weapons of mass destruction. As with many other similar structures in Bratislava, it is inaccessible and not widely known to the public. Built in the 1950s, it is located underneath the Jaskovy rad Street and nearby houses and its designed capacity is 1 500 people. The main entrance can be found at the very end of the tunnel leading to platforms, after leaving the tunnel, the entrance is behind a small metal door built into the massive rock wall.
The shelter features several hallways, rooms, a command centre, air filtering and power generating machinery and toilets. There are two emergency exits, one behind Hotel Spirit and the other behind the building known as U Matusa which in the past featured a pub with the same name, both on private property. The shelter belongs to Railways of Slovak Republic – ŽSR which plans to use it to protect its employees in case of future conflict.
Services
| Preceding station | ŽSSK | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kúty toward Berlin |
EuroNight EN Metropol |
Nové Zámky toward Budapest | ||
| Kúty toward Prague or Ostrava |
EuroCity | Nové Zámky toward Budapest occasional terminus | ||
| Terminus | InterCity | Trnava toward Košice | ||
| Malacky toward Břeclav |
Regional fast trains | Bratislava-Vinohrady toward Zvolen or Štúrovo | ||
| Terminus | ||||
| Terminus | Regional fast trains | Bratislava-Vinohrady toward Prievidza or Žilina | ||
| Bratislava-Lamač toward Vienna |
Regional Express | Terminus | ||
| Bratislava-Železná studienka toward Kúty |
Stopping trains | Terminus | ||
| Terminus | Stopping trains | Bratislava-Vinohrady toward Nové Zámky | ||
| Terminus | Stopping trains | Bratislava-Vinohrady toward Trnava | ||
| Preceding station | RegioJet | Following station | ||
| Terminus | RegioJet | Bratislava-Nové Mesto toward Komárno |
Gallery
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Main entrance to the station. -
Paintings inside the station's hallway. -
Another close-up of the paintings inside the station's hallway. -
770 005 in Bratislava hlavná stanica. -
Bratislava Hlavna Stanica station august 2014
See also
References
- ^ Tim Nollen. The Czech and Slovak Republics. Rough Guides.
- ^ a b "Bratislava Hlavna Stanica". Rail Europe.
- ^ a b "Územné rozhodnutie na Predstaničné námestie chcú do konca roka". 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Slovakia Document Store: S vareskou dvoma tisicrociami / Kapitolky z dejin bratislavskej kuchyne s receptami nasich predkov". Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ Duin, Pieter van. Central European Crossroads: Social Democracy and National Revolution in Bratislava (Pressburg), 1867-1921. New York: Berghahn Books, 2009. p. 211
- ^ Tkáčiková, Lucia (28 August 2011). "Pri hlavnej stanici padne viac než šesťsto stromov (Over 600 trees will be cut down near the Main Railway Station)". SME. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Bratislava urban transport funding reallocated". Railway Gazette International. 7 November 2012.
- Catchpole, Paul (1998). Steam and Rail in Slovakia. Kings Norton, Birmingham, England: Locomotives International. ISBN 1-900340-08-9.
External links
