| Architect |
Santiago
Calatrava |
| Date
Built |
1983 - 1989 |
| Location |
Bahnhofplatz
1, 6003 Luzern |
| Description |
|
Luzern's first
station was built in 1856 and constructed of
wood. It was located close to the
waterfront facilitating the interchange
between train and boat. In 1896 the
station shown in the image below was
built. As you can see, it featured a
rather grand cupola. This station set
on fire on February 5, 1971 bringing down
the cupola, destroying the frontage and the
concourse. The station continued to
operate and installed temporary buildings to
allow it to function. In 1980 a
contest was initiated for the design of a
redeveloped station. The original entrance
arch is all that remains of the old
station.
On top of the arch is a statue called
“Zeitgeist” (spirit of the times) which
was made by Swiss sculptor Richard
Kissling.
 The new station was
designed by the architectural practice
of Ammann and Baumann. One of
their then employees, Santiago
Calatrava, was responsible for the new
concourse. The station opened on
February 5, 1991 exactly 20 years to the
day after the old station was destroyed
by fire.
   - Inside - The glass clad
concourse is described as the, "....
heart of the new station, ... a
multi-storey, generous sized public
space that links the various
functions of the city center with
the railway".
   The "swissinfo.ch"
website says that, "... Perhaps
the most striking feature is the
light that is let into the building
by the elegant curved roof and
façade of glass, which are
architecturally unique. This
is perhaps no surprise since the
station hall was designed by
Santiago Calatrava, the man
responsible for the roof of the
Olympic stadium in Athens.
Although the roof and glass give the
entrance hall an impression of
space, this is misleading because
space is at a premium. You
only have to look around on the
ground floor for somewhere to buy a
ticket to know that Lucerne is not
quite like any other Swiss railway
station. There is no ticket office
there. All the usual railway
facilities, including ticket and
left luggage counters, are situated
underground, but they are bathed in
daylight from the glass roof. There
are also a number of shops and
restaurants."
 Escalators and lifts carry people down to an underground shopping arcade.     - The Train Shed - In the train shed the platforms are much longer than in the old station.       |
|
|
Luzern Central
Station, Switzerland
 |
