Praha hlavní nádraží
Prague main railway station Praha hlavní nádraží (Czech) | |
---|---|
Prague main train station - Praha hlavní nádraží. | |
Location | Czech Republic |
Owned by |
České dráhy SŽDC |
Platforms | 8 |
Construction | |
Architect |
Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann Antonín Viktor Barvitius Josef Fanta |
History | |
Opened | 14 December 1871 |
Rebuilt |
1901–1909 1972–1979 |
Electrified | 1926–1928 |
Praha hlavní nádraží (English: Prague main railway station, abbreviated Praha hl.n) is the largest and most important railway station in Prague in the Czech Republic. It was originally opened in 1871 and named Franz Josef Station after Franz Joseph I of Austria. During the First Republic and from 1945 to 1953 the station was called Wilson Station (Czech: 'Wilsonovo nádraží') after former President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson. His statue stood in the park in front of the station before being torn down by German authorities when the U.S. entered the war in 1941.[1] A new statue of Wilson was installed in 2012. In 2010, the station served 132,560 trains and 22 million passengers.[2]
Overview
The Art Nouveau station building and station hall were built between 1901 and 1909, designed by Czech architect, Josef Fanta, on the site of the old dismantled Neo-Renaissance station. The station was extended by a new terminal building, built between 1972 and 1979, including an underground station and a main road on the roof of the terminal. The new terminal building claimed a large part of the park, and the construction of the road cut off the neo-renaissance station hall from the town. In 2011 a partial refurbishment of the station was completed by Italian company Grandi Stazioni,[3] which has leased retail space for 30 years from 2002.[4] In 2016 Grandi Stazioni has lost the concession after failing to complete the renovation of the historic building by the extended contractual deadline.[5]
The station was the embarkation point for the children evacuated by Nicholas Winton who were evacuated to London Liverpool Street station via the Port of Harwich. In 2009 a statue was unveiled on platform 1 commemorating this.
Train services
Long-distance services
The station is an international transport hub, handling services to Germany (Munich, Bavaria-Bohemia RE (Regio-Express) services, and EuroCity/EuroNight services to Berlin, Dresden and Hamburg), Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Serbia, and Croatia in summer. Services are operated by express trains, and also by ČD Class 680 Pendolino. Services to Moravia, Silesia, Slovakia and Poland are also operated by open - access train operators LEO Express and RegioJet and Arriva vlaky
Regional services
In addition to the international services, trains serve most of the larger Czech cities, such as Brno, Plzeň, České Budějovice and Olomouc.
Suburban services
The station is served by most of the Esko Prague lines which are not dispatched from the nearby Masaryk Railway station.
Preceding station | České dráhy | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Terminus | City Night Line CNL Phoenix/Canopus |
Praha-Holešovice toward Amsterdam and Zurich | ||
Terminus | EuroNight EN Slovakia |
Kolín toward Košice | ||
Turning point | EuroNight EN Metropol |
Praha-Holešovice toward Berlin | ||
Pardubice hl.n. toward Budapest | ||||
Praha-Smíchov toward Františkovy Lázně |
Supercity Pendolino | Pardubice hl.n. toward Ostrava | ||
Terminus | ||||
Terminus | Railjet | toward Graz |
||
Turning point or terminus | EuroCity | Praha-Holešovice toward Berlin | ||
Kolín toward Brno or Olomouc | ||||
Praha-Smíchov toward Munich |
Arriva-Länderbahn-Express | Terminus | ||
Praha-Smíchov toward Plzeň or Písek |
Regional fast trains | Terminus | ||
Praha-Smíchov Terminus |
Regional fast trains | Praha-Libeň toward Pardubice | ||
Terminus | ||||
Terminus | Regional fast trains | Praha-Libeň toward Havlíčkův Brod | ||
Terminus | Regional fast trains | Praha-Holešovice toward Chomutov | ||
Praha-Vršovice toward České Budějovice |
Regional fast trains | Terminus | ||
Terminus | Regional fast trains | Praha-Vysočany toward Hradec Králové | ||
Preceding station | Esko Prague | Following station | ||
Terminus | S3 | toward Byšice, Mělník or Mladá Boleslav hl. n. |
||
R3 | toward Tanvald |
|||
Terminus | R4 | toward Děčín hl.n. |
||
toward Hostivice | S65 | Terminus | ||
toward Beroun | S7 | Terminus | ||
toward Úvaly |
||||
toward Čerčany | S8 | Terminus | ||
toward Dobříš | S80 | |||
S9 | Terminus |
|||
Terminus | ||||
Preceding station | Leo Express | Following station | ||
Terminus | Leo Express | Pardubice hl.n. toward Bohumín | ||
Preceding station | RegioJet | Following station | ||
Terminus | IC RegioJet | Pardubice hl.n. toward Havířov |
Bus services
In front of the main station building are situated bus stops towards Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, Tábor and other Czech cities. Also Airport Express bus service to Václav Havel Airport Prague maintained by České dráhy departs from Wilsonova street in front of the historical building.
Local transport
The station is served by the Prague Metro's Line C, and numerous tram routes call outside the station.
See also
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prague Main railway station. |
- ↑ "Wilson monument to be restored to Prague 70 years after being torn down by Nazis". Radio Prague. 30 April 2009.
- ↑ Ročenka dopravy Praha 2010
- ↑ "Czech station lease signed". Railway Gazette International. 1 February 2004.
- ↑ "Presidential opening for Praha Hlavní". Railway Gazette International. 29 May 2011.
- ↑ UK, DVV Media. "Grandi Stazioni loses Praha concession". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
Coordinates: 50°4′59″N 14°26′09″E / 50.08306°N 14.43583°E