Freiburg memories: train station

Vaguely, I remember the old train station in Freiburg. According to the German Wikipedia, Freiburg's train station was the first one completed after World War II – not surprisingly, given the city's proximity to France and its position within the then-French occupational zone. But the building was not much to look at. Originally conceived only as a provisional structure, it served Freiburg nonetheless for half a century.

This is what it looked like when I entered Freiburg through it in September 1992. That picture shows a construction site over to the left, where the new hotel is. Here is another view from 1970.

Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg
Staatsarchiv Freiburg
Bestellsignatur: W 134 Nr. 084009a
Permalink: http://www.landesarchiv-bw.de/plink/?f=5-131972
Fotograf: Willy Pragher

As you can see, you walked out of the building and straight onto the street. But this photo is my favorite. The hotel is almost finished in that picture from 1992. It is very close to what I first saw in Freiburg.

A few years after I arrived, the city replaced it with the modern building we have today. It is further from the street, includes a mall, and has a tower with photovoltaics on the southern façade. At the top, there is a club where you can dance overlooking the town, and below it you can have brunch on Sunday – including a chocolate fountain. I was once interviewed there by BBC World. I took the picture below from the main solar tower towards the north. You can see the smaller tower on the left, which also has solar on the façade.


And here is the main Solar Tower as seen from the streetcar bridge: