Station Forecourt

The gateway to the soul of a city

The people of Gelsenkirchen mourn the loss of the old railway station to this day. In 1983, the old Art Nouveau building gave way to the current building. The gateway to the city has lost its former splendour. Compared to the very first building that adorned Gelsenkirchen station, the new station is a jewel.

Gelsenkirchen has changed. A small village has become a real city in just a few years. This was triggered by the Hibernia colliery, where coal has been mined since 1858. People also arrive here on their way to Schalke, when they are looking for work at the Consolidation 1/6 colliery. And there are quite a few of them. The old crooked wooden hut, which was placed on the new railway line in 1847, is not enough. The railway station does not do justice to the new size and prosperity of the city. As soon as they get off the train, people should realise that they have landed in a good city. In 1904, the station and the entire forecourt were given a makeover. The wooden hut gives way to an Art Nouveau railway station. A few years later, a new Neo-Renaissance-style post office is built right next to the station. It is the eye-catcher for everyone arriving at Gelsenkirchen railway station. Nobody who gets off the train here wonders where they have ended up.

The construction of the Gelsenkirchen station building coincided with another important event: in the same year, a few boys who regularly played football at House Goor founded a football club. Nobody could have guessed that within three decades it would become one of the most important teams in German football. Whenever the Knappen won a trophy, their triumphal march began right here. Here, returning players would present won trophies to a cheering crowds before continuing on to Schalke Market or the Clubhouse "Bosch". Around 80 years after its construction, the now old railway station had to make way for plans for urban redevelopment and regeneration. In 1983, the new station was opened with the adjoining station centre. To this day, many Gelsenkirchen residents mourn the loss of the Art Nouveau railway station. In the same year, the post office moved to the former Hibernia Colliery site. The old building now houses the administrative court.

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