KulturBahnhof Kassel

In the location's words:

With the opening of the Wilhelmshöhe ICE train station in the early 1990s, Kassel's main station lost its importance as a long-distance transportation hub. As a result, Kassel's cultural organizations, the city's cultural department and Deutsche Bahn joined forces to develop the "KulturBahnhof" concept. Since 1995, the premises of the main station, which are no longer used by the railroad, have been used primarily for cultural purposes. Investments of several million Deutschmarks in the refurbishment, financed by Deutsche Bahn and the cultural enterprises, have resulted in a multi-purpose cultural center.

Examples of the successful combination of modern architecture and the late classicist style of the building are the steel and glass structure on the cross platform, the open design of the former ticket hall, the conversion of the south wing into an exhibition hall for documenta X and facilities such as "Gleis 1", the CARICATURA gallery and the conversion of the BALi cinemas.

To mark the opening of the KulturBahnhof, the monumental sculpture "Man Walking to the Sky" by Jonathan Borofsky, a well-known work of art from documenta IX, was installed on the forecourt. This highly symbolic figure stands for the innovative spirit and charisma of the project, which has given the surrounding area a new, lively attraction. The transformation from the main railway station to the KulturBahnhof is considered an exemplary conversion project and was even recognized as a "worldwide EXPO 2000 project".

This content has been machine translated.