Luzern [Lucerne], Bahnhof, ca early 1900s
This is an unused, divided back, postcard from the early 1900s. Pictured is the Lucerne, Switzerland, railway station. The number 1533 and Kunstverlag E. Goetz, Luzern is found on the bottom left margin on the reverse. Aside from the title of “Luzern Bahnhof” there are no other identification marks or credits provided.
This rail station is located in the Lucerne city center and is a major hub for the rail network in Switzerland. The first station, built of wood in 1856, was on the edge of Lake Lucerne. The station pictured on the card is the “new” or rebuilt station that was designed by Hans Wilhelm Auer, and opened in 1896. The larger new building was not just an addition to the older structure but an entirely new one with a distinctive cupola and turned 90 degrees toward the north and the bridge leading to central Lucerne. The tracks were electrified in 1922. World War I interrupted additional expansion plans and that work was not carried out.
A fire in 1971 that destroyed the entire building with the exception of the front entrance gate meant the station had to continue operations with temporary buildings. It wasn’t until 1991 that a new station, designed by Ammann and Baumann together with Santiago Calatrava, was built to replace the one shown on the card. Today there is an underground shopping arcade and longer platforms, also there is a “generous public space that links various city center functions with the railway.”
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucerne_railway_station
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Auer
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammann_und_Baumann
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_Calatrava
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