Main Train Station Innsbruck

The construction of the main railway station with a commercial and administrative center took two and a half years and totaled 27.6 million euros. The fifteen-meter-high block of red-colored concrete measures 104 meters in length. In the spacious entrance hall, there are two monumentally protected murals (covering an area of 110 m²) by Max Weiler (from 1954-55), which were salvaged from the demolished old station building. Besides serving as a transport hub, the building also functions publicly and commercially (information center, post office, pharmacy, 23 shops, a large supermarket, and an underground parking lot). The urban design also included a new design for the square in front of the train station, which serves as the main hub for public transport.



The station building acts as a barrier in the urban area. The urbanistically designed station area consists of an empty space. At first glance, it appears to be a house with windows. However, the railway station building can also be viewed through and through. This "nothing" from the outside ensures the necessary transparency. Inside the station, this trick helps with better orientation. To reach the desired platform, it is always necessary to overcome a height difference of one floor. Under the unmistakable cover, people flow into the underground, where accompanying functions such as a travel agency, garages, or the M-Preis supermarket by Rainer Köberl follow.
The construction cleverly avoids clear dating and is thus spared from passing the time limit. It stands here as if it had already been and was meant to remain forever. The figurative dripping of red color from the façade onto the sidewalk only proves that even Austria can endure a red square.