Oldenburg Hauptbahnhof (originally ''Oldenburg Centralbahnhof'') is the main passenger station in the city of Oldenburg in the German state of

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

. It is a through station, with seven platform tracks. Its large reception hall was built in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style. It is one of two stations in Oldenburg open to passengers, the other one being the newly-constructed ''Oldenburg-Wechloy'' suburban rail station opened in 2015 in the vicinity of the

University of Oldenburg The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (german: Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg) is a university located in Oldenburg, Germany. It is one of the most important and highly regarded educational facilities in northwestern German ...

. Older stations, including Ofenerdiek and Osternburg, have had their passenger service gradually removed over the course of previous decades.

History

The first railway in the capital of the

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and Birk ...

was the line from Oldenburg to Bremen via Delmenhorst opened by the

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg State Railways The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg Railway (''Großherzoglich Oldenburgische Eisenbahn or GOE'') was the railway company that was run as a state railway for the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (''Großherzogtum Oldenburg''), part of the German Empire. Histor ...

on 15 July 1867. On 3 September 1867, a line was opened from Oldenburg to Heppens (later renamed

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...

), financed by the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

n government. The line was operated by the Oldenburg State Railways, which in 1913 bought the line from Prussia, placing an enormous burden on the state's budget. On 15 June 1869, the Oldenburg–Leer line was opened. On 15 October 1875, the Oldenburg State Railways opened the Oldenburg–Osnabrück line. The first Oldenburg station was planned to be built in today's Cäcilienplatz. In 1868, it became clear that the proposed building would be too small for the growing demand. Therefore, the project was never realized. Instead, a converted freight shed served as Oldenburg's station for twelve years. On 21 May 1879, the Central Station was finally inaugurated as the first "real" station in Oldenburg at the site of the present station. It was a

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

building designed by the renowned architect

Conrad Wilhelm Hase Conrad Wilhelm Hase (2 October 1818, Einbeck28 March 1902, Hanover) was a German architect and Professor. He was a prominent representative of the Neo-Gothic style and is known for his preservation work. Biography He was one of ten children bo ...

. It was considered one of the most romantic railway buildings in Germany. Today's Oldenburg station was inaugurated on 3 August 1915 without much ceremony after four years of construction. The magnificent

building was designed by the architect, Friedrich Mettegang. A separate building was planned for the

Grand Duke of Oldenburg 120px, Shield of the Counts of Oldenburg 120px, Shield of the Counts of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst This is a list of the counts, dukes, grand dukes, and prime ministers of Oldenburg. Counts of Oldenburg * 1088/1101–1108 Elimar I * 1108–114 ...

to board trains, called Prince Hall. As part of the new building the tracks were raised by about 3.25 meters. The building was placed at the edge of the tracks, so that the station could be rebuilt as a through station. Up to that time, travellers who wanted to continue past Oldenburg had to change trains. In 1992 the line was electrified from Oldenburg to Leer.

Connections

The station's track 1 is next to the main building and it has three Island platforms, numbered as tracks 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8. Track 2 is a through track without a platform.

Train services

The following services currently call at the station:Timetables for Oldenburg Hbf station
*Intercity Express services (ICE 10) ''Oldenburg - Bremen - Hanover - Wolfsburg - Berlin'' *Intercity Express services (ICE 22) ''Oldenburg - Bremen - Hanover - Kassel - Frankfurt'' *Intercity Express services (ICE 25) ''Oldenburg - Bremen - Hanover - Kassel - Würzburg – Nürnberg – Ingolstadt – Munich'' *Intercity services (IC 56) ''Norddeich - Emden - Oldenburg - Bremen - Hanover - Braunschweig - Magdeburg - Leipzig / Berlin - Cottbus'' *Regional services ''Norddeich - Emden - Oldenburg - Bremen - Nienburg - Hanover'' *Regional services ''Wilhelmshaven - Varel - Oldenburg - Cloppenburg - Bramsche - Osnabrück'' *Bremen S-Bahn services ''Bad Zwischenahn - Oldenburg - Delmerhorst - Bremen'' The main long-distance service through Oldenburg is an

InterCity InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...

service operating at two-hour intervals to Leipzig via Hanover. In addition,

Intercity-Express The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerl ...

trains operate once a day on several routes.

References

External links

*
Track plan of ''Oldenburg (Oldenburg) Hbf''
from Deutschen Bahn site (PDF; 177,3 KB)

{{Authority control Railway stations in Germany opened in 1879 Railway stations in Lower Saxony

Hauptbahnhof Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

Art Nouveau architecture in Germany Art Nouveau railway stations Railway stations in Germany opened in 1915

Bremen S-Bahn