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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Grand-Est
  4. Haut-Rhin
  5. 68590 Saint-Hippolyte

  6. Kaiser station in Saint-Hippolyte

 Kaiser station in Saint-Hippolyte dans le Haut-Rhin

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine ferroviaire
Gare classée MH
Haut-Rhin

Kaiser station in Saint-Hippolyte

    3 Rue de la Gare
    68590 Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Gare dite gare du Kaiser à Saint-Hippolyte
Crédit photo : Indication Saint-Hippolyte - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1840
Initial opening
1903-1907
Imperial reconstruction
1907
Inauguration
1919
Return to France
1976
Closing of the window
30 septembre 1997
MH classification
19 février 2010
A devastating fire
2012
Purchase by the municipality
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Facades and roofs of all buildings; passenger hall; wharfs 22 234): registration by order of 30 September 1997

Key figures

Guillaume II - German Emperor Sponsor of the station and castle.
Bodo Ebhardt - Architect Directed the restoration of the castle.
Ludwig Kriesche - Berlin architect Designs the station plans.
Félix Fries - Initial architect Author of the first building (1840).

Origin and history

The station of Saint-Hippolyte, nicknamed "Kaiser station", was built between 1903 and 1907 to facilitate access to the castle of Upper Koenigsburg, restored by the German emperor William II. Designed by architect Ludwig Kriesche, it included a stone building with a central tower and a room reserved for the emperor. His imposing style reflected his logistical role for restoration materials and imperial visits.

Inaugurated in 1907, the station became a welcoming point for tourists visiting the castle. After the First World War, it went under French management (SNCF in 1938), then German during the Second World War. Closed in 1976, it was classified as a historic monument in 1997 before being ravaged by a fire in 2010. Its building, sold and then bought by the municipality, is now being restored.

The station was initially a modest third-class station, opened in 1840 by the Strasbourg Railway Company in Basel. Transformed for William II, it symbolized German influence in Alsace-Lorraine. Its architecture, inspired by the Alsatian stations of the time, blended stone and wooden elements. After its closure, it was used as a decor for Claude Chabrol's film La Décade prodigiouse.

The building, characterized by its sandstone and arc tower facades, was organized around a passenger hall, offices and a merchant wing. The date "1903" engraved on the turret recalls its imperial origin. Abandoned in the 1970s, it was partially destroyed before being pre-empted by the municipality in 2012. Since 2020, occupants have been conducting its restoration with participatory funding.

Located 182 metres above sea level on the Strasbourg-Saint-Louis line, the station also served neighbouring villages like Ribeauvillé. Its decline is part of the rationalization of the French railway network in the 20th century. Today, it bears witness to the turbulent history of Alsace, between German heritage and French identity, as well as the importance of railway industrial heritage.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum