Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof

Why go

The station marks the end of Königstraße and connects the centre with regional and long-distance rail travel. Paul Bonatz’s monumental design explains why it is also an architectural landmark. Read the building from the public approach, then use the current station map for the practical business of reaching your train.

What to look for

• The historic station tower was placed on the axis of Königstraße.
• The Bonatz building uses monumental forms and restrained decoration.

The full story

The historic Hauptbahnhof was built between 1914 and 1928 on Arnulf-Klett-Platz. Paul Bonatz positioned its tower on the axis of Königstraße, giving the pedestrian approach a deliberate visual destination. That relationship with the city is as important as the building’s function as a railway terminal. Its architecture combines a monumental presence with restrained decoration. The design also responded to the site’s sloping terrain, absorbing a considerable change in level within the station complex. These are useful details to remember when looking at the building from the city side: its mass was shaped both by the wish for a landmark and by the demands of moving people and trains. The historic design does not describe a complete sightseeing route through today’s station. Read its urban position from public approaches, and treat passenger wayfinding as a separate task.

Useful to know

• Follow the current DB station map when planning a transfer or departure.
• Keep architectural viewing to permitted public approaches and passenger circulation.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.