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Germany's "Station of the Year" comes from Saxony for the 4th time

The train station in Bautzen will be named "Germany's Train Station of the Year" this Monday. A tribute to a resurrection that would not have been possible without private commitment.

Reading time: 8 Minutes

Man sieht den Bautzner Bahnhof
Bautzen is Saxony's "Station of the Year" for the 4th time - after Leipzig, Bad Schandau and Dresden. Source: Hentschke Bau GmbH

Michael Rothe

Bautzen. He was ashamed when he picked up guests at the station, says Jörg Drews. Like the boss of Hentschke Bau, many people from Bautzen felt the same way. It was a disaster and annoyed him, "because we actually have a beautiful town". In 2014, the station building was so desolate that it had to be closed by the building police. "The station was no longer worthy of its name," adds Gerald Lucas, authorized signatory at the city's largest property developer.

In 2014, the station concourse was closed by the construction police. Travelers could only get around the building to the train and to the improvised ticket counter.
Source: Uwe Soeder

That was ten years ago, and the eyesore has been transformed into a functional gem. What's more, the station in the district town in eastern Saxony is "Germany's Station of the Year 2024". Since 2004, the Pro-Rail Alliance has been awarding this title to the best railroad stations from the perspective of travelers. The jury includes the Pro Bahn passenger association, Verkehrsclub Deutschland, the ADFC cycling club and the German Tourism Association. It also awarded a special prize to the Sörup country station in Schleswig-Holstein. Bautzen is Saxony's 4th champion - after the main stations in Leipzig, Dresden and the station in Bad Schandau in between.

But it was a long road to its reopening in 2020. In 2014, they passed the station on their way from the notary's office. He said to his business partner: "You can't tolerate this, we should take care of it?" recalls Drews, owner of one of the largest construction companies in eastern Germany with 700 employees. In 2015, they concluded an option purchase agreement with Deutsche Bahn (DB). "The challenge was to use the large hall as a distributor and to integrate the side wings. Previously, there were only staircases to the right and left," says Lucas. According to the 54-year-old, the character of a train station with a large hall - which will be bright in future thanks to the new skylight - was to be retained at all costs.

In order to gain additional office space with a complete 3rd floor, the roof was raised by 1.50 meters in the course of the refurbishment.
Source: Hentschke Bau GmbH

That was ten years ago, and the eyesore has been transformed into a functional gem. What's more, the station in the district town in eastern Saxony is "Germany's Station of the Year 2024". Since 2004, the Pro-Rail Alliance has been awarding this title to the best railroad stations from the perspective of travelers. The jury includes the Pro Bahn passenger association, Verkehrsclub Deutschland, the ADFC cycling club and the German Tourism Association. It also awarded a special prize to the Sörup country station in Schleswig-Holstein. Bautzen is Saxony's 4th champion - after the main stations in Leipzig, Dresden and the station in Bad Schandau in between.

But it was a long road to its reopening in 2020. In 2014, they passed the station on their way from the notary's office. He said to his business partner: "You can't tolerate this, we should take care of it?" recalls Drews, owner of one of the largest construction companies in eastern Germany with 700 employees. In 2015, they concluded an option purchase agreement with Deutsche Bahn (DB). "The challenge was to use the large hall as a distributor and to integrate the side wings. Previously, there were only staircases to the right and left," says Lucas. According to the 54-year-old, the character of a train station with a large hall - which will be bright in future thanks to the new skylight - was to be retained at all costs.

In order to gain additional office space with a complete 3rd floor, the roof was raised by 1.50 meters in the course of the refurbishment.
Source: Hentschke Bau GmbH

Even Saxony's king came to the opening in 1846 - by train

"We raised the roof 1.50 meters to gain a third floor," adds the managing director. The company's many years of experience helped here. Hentschke specializes in transport, industrial, public and social building construction and is known as a bridge builder. The company has also left its mark on railroad stations such as Dresden-Neustadt. But this was the company's first project as a client, says civil engineer Drews.

The birth of the German railroad in 1835 was also the birth of railroad stations. As trains were longer and the number of passengers was higher than in stagecoaches, platforms and halls were needed. Initially small and made of wood, prestigious station buildings were built at the end of the century, some of which were veritable cathedrals of transportation, as in Leipzig.

In the beginning, the station had no platforms - captured around 1850 in the watercolor by Gustav Täubert.
Source: Museum Bautzen

In Bautzen, things were a few sizes smaller. The Saxon King Friedrich August II himself arrived for the opening on June 23, 1846: with his wife and a large entourage in a procession of ten wagons - pulled by the legendary Saxonia, the first German steam locomotive and the Lusatia, a steam horse from Belgium. During the two-hour visit, the sound of bells and firecrackers rang out.

With the addition of the striking side wings in 1877, the building came close to its present form. In 1921, the reception hall was enlarged and moved to the front. Burned out in the last weeks of the war in 1945 and then rebuilt in a simpler style, the station was a gray but important transport hub in GDR times with lines to Dresden, Görlitz, Hoyerswerda and Bad Schandau. Until the early 1990s, the "Sorbenexpress" even ran an express train to Berlin.

Fewer trains stop in Bautzen today than in 1900

But those days are over. Deutsche Bahn speaks of 70 trains per day. By comparison, in 1900 there were 92 passenger, express and freight trains. The station halfway between Saxony's state capital and Görlitz now only knows the two directions. Trains operated by the Länderbahn as Trilex run as RB 60 and RE 1, taking passengers to Zgorzelec several times a day, where they can change trains for Wroclaw.

Around 70 passenger trains a day run between Dresden and Görlitz - organized by the Länderbahn as Trilex.
Source: kairospress

When one of the usually four trains per hour arrives, the idyllic atmosphere in the hall is over. Commuters rush to one of the two active platforms. According to the ZVON association, which organizes local transport in Upper Lusatia and Lower Silesia, around 3,300 people board and alight at the station every day. Tourists may have an eye for the model of the old town standing in the middle of the atrium, with over 300 lovingly crafted houses based on a plan from 1709.

Things are usually quiet in the hall. Karin Prien turns up, and it's not just her neon yellow jacket that makes her stand out. The 78-year-old has her heart on her sleeve and meets people she knows - including her Pakistani neighbor Anwar Shah. The 35-year-old journalist fled to Germany five years ago because of political persecution. That morning, he has a compatriot with him, Iqbal Khattak, and shows his colleague from the organization "Reporters Without Borders" around the station until her train arrives.

Anwar Shah and Iqbal Khattak (from left) are from Pakistan and admire the hall on their way to Dresden.
Source: kairospress

When you look up, you will discover very special murals in the gallery on the 1st floor: Replicas of eight stucco works with motifs of traditional Upper Lusatian industries such as wagon building, fish farming and weaving. The Lusatian artist Alfred Herzog created this sgraffiti after the Second World War. His towering originals can be found not far from the vehicle registration office. In addition to the road traffic office, the district authorities for youth and social affairs, ZVON, the Dreißig bakery, Barmer Ersatzkasse, DB Netz AG, Avis car rental, three sign services and the flower store on the forecourt are also located here - all with barrier-free access. There are also 300 parking spaces and 160 bicycle stands next to the building.

A waiting lounge for everyone - and free toilets

"Magnificent on the outside, practical on the inside," is how the Pro-Rail Alliance sums it up. According to the jury's statement, the station not only impresses with its façade, which has been restored in keeping with its listed status. The interior is also bright, friendly and open. In addition to tickets, the small travel center also offers daily newspapers, snacks and coffee. The lounge area for waiting passengers, the book exchange cabinet and the café with comfortable seating areas inside and outside, the wall photos from the history of the station, free toilets, inexpensive luggage lockers and the multi-provider packing station on the platform were also praised.

Chatterbox Karin Prien only comes for the coffee, "because there are always a few free cookies with it," admits the woman from Mecklenburg, who has lived in Bautzen for 25 years. She has nothing to do with the train, "but the lemon and cream slices are great - just like the whole station".

Karin Prien doesn't come to the station for the trains, but regularly treats herself to a coffee at the bakery.
Source: kairospress

"It even used to be part of the Wroclaw-Paris connection," enthuses building contractor Drews. You can no longer speak of such importance today.

Deutsche Bahn now only has 21 stations in Saxony

Very few of the 396 station buildings sold by Deutsche Bahn (DB) in Saxony since 1999 have caretakers. Most of them have fallen into disrepair and are victims of vandalism. In no other federal state has DB sold more of these buildings - and only 21 are still in its possession. The reason for this was the requirement, in force since the 1994 rail reform, that station buildings must be completely self-financing from rental income.

Then the change of heart in mid-2022. Since then, the new subsidiary DB Infrago AG no longer sells station buildings. The Group is now "successively focusing on a new design and further development in cooperation with the cities and municipalities in the interests of the common good and customer satisfaction", according to a spokesperson. There are currently around 5,700 stations for rail travelers in Germany. Of the approximately 2,300 station buildings there, only around 700 still belong to Deutsche Bahn.

Very few of the almost 400 stations sold by Deutsche Bahn in Saxony have caretakers. Many station buildings lead a sad existence - like the one in Dürrröhrsdorf near Dresden.
Source: Jürgen Lösel

"DB was probably happy that we wanted to buy," speculates Drews. After all, their offer had been with the city for some time. Without the private investors, it would never have been possible, the administration freely admits. While some speak of an indictment of the railroad, others see the deal as positive. The realization that they could not manage the renovation themselves and clear the way for others is also a merit.

Station rescuers dream of a Paris-Wroclaw connection

Drews doesn't like to talk about money. Just this much: "It wasn't the symbolic euro, as was often the case after reunification, but it was affordable." According to the 65-year-old, the refurbishment cost tens of millions of euros. Apart from tax concessions, there was no subsidy money. The investors say that you never reach your goal just by patting yourself on the back. To pull it off, you have to be an "enthusiast for your homeland and a bit crazy". According to the company boss, who is also involved in the town council and won by far the most votes for the Bautzen Citizens' Alliance in the local elections in June, the people of Bautzen show them their respect.

Jörg Drews and Gerald Lucas (from left) bought and renovated Bautzen's train station - and opened new doors for it.
Source: kairospress

The station is the gateway to the city, and maintaining it after construction is not easy. The problem: vandalism. Damage and graffiti have to be constantly repaired, says Drews. The cost: around 30,000 euros. DB, which is still responsible for ensuring operations, shares the concern. Nevertheless, Saxony's data protection commissioner has prohibited video surveillance.

Elsewhere, however, this is seen as unproblematic: for example at Nuremberg Central Station and at Berlin Südkreuz, where hundreds of cameras are being used on a trial basis. Although they do not prevent crime, the detection rate is 100 percent, according to railroad circles.

We dream of a new Paris-Breslau line so that international guests can stay in the city again.

Jörg Drews, co-owner of Bautzen station

The project is not their biggest professionally, "but it is a very special one because a lot of emotions are attached to it", the station rescuers sum up. Drews and Lucas hope that Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) will give them "similar support to that given to Görlitz" as well as the S-Bahn to Dresden promised for 2030. "And we dream of a new Paris-Breslau connection so that international guests can stay in the city again."

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