Münster Hauptbahnhof
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Münster Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the city of
Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.


History

The original Münster station was opened in 1848 by the Münster-Hamm Railway Company, when it opened by the
Münster–Hamm railway The Münster–Hamm railway is an almost 36 kilometre-long, continuous double-track and electrified main line railway from Münster to Hamm in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It was one of Germany's oldest railways, built by the ''Mu ...
to the then capital of the
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
n
Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar ...
as a terminus of its branch line from Hamm, where it connected with
Cologne-Minden trunk line {{unreferenced, date=January 2014 The Cologne-Minden trunk line is a railway built by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (''Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', CME). The line is the westernmost part of the railway line from Berlin to the Rh ...
. The railway was opened with a ceremonial run on 25 May 1848. The station building was erected in front of the Servatii-Tor (gate) between the modern streets of Wolbecker Straße and Albersloher Weg. About a month after the opening passenger services were added to the freight traffic on the line. However, the new means of transport was not particularly successful in the early years. On average 100 passengers per train were recorded.


1855-1880

In 1855, the Münster-Hamm Railway Company was taken over in 1855 by the Prussian government-funded
Royal Westphalian Railway Company The Royal Westphalian Railway (, KWE) was a German rail company established in 1848 with funding from the Prussian government, which later became part of the Prussian State Railways. The network eventually extended about 315 km from Rheine v ...
(''Königlich-Westfälische Eisenbahn'', KWE). This led to a shortening of travel times, because through trains now ran from
Warburg Warburg (; Westphalian: ''Warberich'' or ''Warborg'') is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany on the river Diemel near the three-state point shared by Hessen, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is in Höxter distr ...
to Munster. In 1856 the
Münster–Rheine railway The Münster–Rheine railway is a nearly 39 km long main line railway from Münster to Rheine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is entirely double track and electrified. It was opened by the Prussian government-funded Royal ...
was opened. This line connected at
Rheine Rheine () is a city in the district of Steinfurt (district), Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base. Geography Rheine is on the river Ems (river), Ems, about north of Münster ...
with the
Hanoverian Western Railway The Hanoverian Western Railway () was a line from the Löhne to Emden, built by the Royal Hanoverian State Railways in the mid-19th century in the west of the Kingdom of Hanover in the modern German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia ...
, connecting
Löhne Löhne (; , ) is a town in the district of Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Löhne is situated on the river Werre, approx. 8 km north of Herford and 20 km south-west of Minden Minden () is a middle-sized to ...
, Rheine and
Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...
. The concession for the construction of the railway connection from the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
area and
Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), ...
via Münster to
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
was awarded in 1866 to the
Cologne-Minden Railway Company The Cologne-Minden Railway Company (German, old spelling: ''Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', ''CME'') was along with the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company and the Rhenish Railway Company one of the railway companies that in the mid-19th ...
(''Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft'', CME). The Wanne–Munster section of this route was opened in 1870. It was extended to Osnabrück in 1871 /and to Hamburg in 1874. So Munster now had direct access to the German
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...
ports. The CME built its Münster station east of the KWE station. This station was designed as a stopgap, so that a single station could be built for both railways. In western Münsterland, at the beginning of the 1860s there were efforts to promote the local economy by building a railway link from Münster via Gronau to
Enschede Enschede (; local ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the province of Overijssel and the Twente region of the eastern Netherlands. The east of the urban area reaches ...
. Construction began in June 1872, but the Münster-Enschede railway company ran into financial difficulties in 1874. The KWE therefore took over its management and on 30 September 1875 it opened the line to Enschede. This line used the KWE station.`


1880–1914

After the nationalisation of the railways in 1881, all railways in Münster became part of the
Prussian state railways The term Prussian state railways (German: ''Preußische Staatseisenbahnen'') encompasses those railway organisations that were owned or managed by the state of Prussia. The words "state railways" are not capitalized because Prussia did not have a ...
. Already in 1875 the rural municipalities of St. Lamberti and Mauritz had been incorporated into Münster, so it now had planning authority for the station area. In 1885, the financial resources became available to build a central station. The opening of the news station took place on 1 October 1890. Initially planned as a narrow gauge railway from Münster to Telgte, the line from Münster via
Warendorf Warendorf (, Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Warnduorp'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of Warendorf (district), Warendorf District. The town is best known today for its well-preserved medieval town centre, for eq ...
to Rheda was built as standard gauge. On 8 February 1886, the line between Munster and Warendorf. was opened. Munster increasingly became a main railway station and the rail network was extended in 1903 over the Münster–Warstein line to Neubeckum and in 1908 over the
Baumberge Railway The Baumberge are the highest hills in the natural regions of Münsterland and Kernmünsterland with a maximum height of . They are located between Münster and Coesfeld, which is itself close to the southwest edge of the Baumberge. The hilly ...
via
Coesfeld Coesfeld (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Koosfeld'') is the capital of the Coesfeld (district), district of Coesfeld in the Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. History Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first ...
to Empel-Rees. However, the station did not reach achieve the significance the city sought, mainly because the main line connecting
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
and the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
with
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
bypassed Munster.


1920–1933

In 1920 the German state railways were incorporated in
Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'' (), also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...
. The line to Lünen was opened in 1928 and the rail freight bypass was opened in 1930. Since the traffic volume had increased further at the end of the 1920s, the construction of another station platform was necessary. In 1928/30 the station building was rebuilt as a "gateway to the modern city" and the reconstruction was completed at the end of September 1930 for
Katholikentag ''Katholikentag'' (, ) is a festival-like gathering in German-speaking countries organized by laity of the Catholic Church. ''Katholikentag'' festivals occur approximately every 2–4 years in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. ''Katholikentag ...
.


1933–1945

Münster was included in the ''Blitzzug'' ("Lightning Train") network. From 6 October 1935, Münster was included on the Cologne–Hamburg route of this network. The situation changed fundamentally with the start of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Discounts for travel were abolished in January 1940 and a reduced timetable was introduced. Further reductions of services followed. In 1941/42, an underground bunker was built at Münster station for 2,000 people. This was captured in 1945, but without injury. There were 102 air raids on the Münster rail facilities by Allied bombers. The air attacks on the station area destroyed wagons and locomotives as well as 75 to 80% of the tracks. The station building was completely destroyed.


1945–2012

On 2 April 1945, Allied troops marched into Münster. In late April, the lines to the west were reopened. In the summer of 1945 reconstruction began of tracks and signal boxes. After the repair of damaged bridges in the area of Schleuse Münster, trains could also run to Osnabrück again. Because in the platform area the platforms, stairs and pedestrian tunnels were unusable, they had to be hastily repaired before the commencement of passenger operations. In 1949, a connection was built to the city's port railway which allowed the passenger trains of the Westfälische Landes-Eisenbahn (Westphalian State Railway) to approach the station from Lippstadt. For this, the ''Westfälische Landes-Eisenbahn'' built a fifth platform on the east side of station, which was used only by its own trains. This platform has been closed since the abandonment of passenger service on the line to Lippstadt in the winter timetable of 1975. At the beginning of the 1950s, the station was rebuilt in several phases. The station hall was completed in 1958 and work at the station was completed 1960. The plans for the work at the station and adjacent areas were prepared by the Munster-born chief architect of
Deutsche Bundesbahn Deutsche Bundesbahn (, ) or DB () was formed as the state railway of the newly established West Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remained the state railway of West Germany u ...
, Theodor Dierksmeier. From 8 June 1960 in Münster was connected to the
Trans Europ Express The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network compri ...
network. The TEA ''Parsifal'' express ran from Hamburg to Paris and stopped in Münster. In September 1968, the whole line between the Ruhr and Hamburg was electrified; the line between Münster and the Ruhr had already been electrified for two years. The line was electrified to Emden in 1981. Starting on 23 July 2012 the private railway company
Hamburg-Köln-Express Hamburg-Köln-Express GmbH (HKX) was a Cologne-based Open access operator, open-access train operating company providing long-distance railway passenger services in Germany. It was founded in October 2009 as a joint venture by Railroad Development ...
provides up to three intercity train pairs daily along the route
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
- Münster -
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
. The French rail company
SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
is also thinking about a new TGV lines, including a route from
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
to
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, Cologne and Münster to
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. A realization of these plans could take place in 2011. As of 2014, no further plans have been announced on this TGV route.


Since 2013

From 2013 until 2017, the buildings of the ''Hauptbahnhof'' in Münster have been completely rebuilt. The re-opening was on 24 June 2017.


Rail services

The station is served by the following services:Timetables for Münster Hbf station


Long distance

Long distance services as of 2021:


Regional

Regional services as of 2021:


See also

*
Rail transport in Germany Rail transport in Germany is provided predominantly by ''Deutsche Bahn'' (DB, ). , the railway network in Germany (DB only) had a length of , of which were electrified and were double track. About are high-speed railway lines. Germany has th ...
*
Railway stations in Germany This article shows a List of railway stations, list of railway stations in Germany. The list is subdivided per States of Germany, federal state. Due to the number of railway stations it shows a selection of the principal stations an ...


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Munster Hauptbahnhof Railway stations in North Rhine-Westphalia Buildings and structures in Münster Railway stations in Germany opened in 1890