The railway station in Strasbourg: between the heritage of the past and a vision of the future La stazione di Strasburgo, tra passato e futuro En It

Résumé En

Like many European cities linked by the high-speed network, Strasbourg needed to upgrade its legacy of railway stations
to accommodate the new High-Speed (TGV) trains and travellers from Paris and other European cities in the early 2000s. The article focuses on the character of Strasbourg’s train station across two distinct periods: first, at the time of its construction during the “German” period (1871-1918), and second with the advent of high-speed trains in 2000-2007. Since
its construction in 1883, the train station in Strasbourg has represented an emblematic model of public buildings following the city’s pattern of development and expansion, defined by German urban planners such as Reinhard Baumeister and Joseph Stübben. This train station in fact embodied the theories of these planners regarding the Großstadt. Over time, the station has undergone
a series of modifications. It was last redesigned in 2007 for the arrival of TGV trains to the city. Today the architectural typology of the station juxtaposes the original old building, featuring a gallery
of trains, with a large transparent hall of glass and steel. While maintaining the visibility of the old façade, this hall ensures the transition to the outside and to other modes of transport. Indeed, Strasbourg’s train station
 reflects a desire to meet the demands of development along with the articulation
of transport facilities in the city. As a crossroads where all the means of transport come together, this station must ensure the intermodality of all the transport facilities, while taking into account a new tram-train project which will eventually reposition the station in the city and its suburbs.