Interior view of a large terminus station with a wide-span steel structure, platforms, long-distance trains and an open passageway area with shops and service areas in the transition between transport and retail.

Revitalisation of Leipzig Central Station

Central perspective view of a main railway station with multi-storey retail areas, glass lift shaft, spacious hall structure and functionally organised routes for passenger and visitor flows.

A Station as an Urban Centre

Leipzig Central Station has shaped both railway and urban history. Its revitalisation has turned it into a place that unites mobility and urban life while preserving the fascination of its monumental hall.

At a Glance

Transformation of Europe’s largest terminus station from a purely transportfocused building into a focal point of urban life

Gallerylike character through an elongated, lensshaped opening cut into the 270metrelong concourse

Three levels with around 140 shops, cafés and restaurants

From Vision to Reality

Opened in 1915, the station remains Europe’s largest terminus to this day. After heavy destruction during the Second World War and reconstruction in the 1960s, the vision persisted to integrate it into the city as an urban building block with a transport function.
In 1994, HPP won the international competition for its redesign and implemented a concept that respects the historic fabric while integrating new functions.

From Concourse to Gallery

The conversion focused on a precise intervention in the existing structure: a lensshaped incision in the concourse acting as a spatial connector. This created promenade levels across three storeys with retail, gastronomy and seating areas, linked by generous staircases, escalators and glazed lifts.

Dialogue with History

The design preserved the impressive concourse hall and added a new spatial dimension, the gallery. Vertical circulation and the clear organisation of the levels provide orientation and openness without overshadowing the historic identity.

A New Urban Focal Point

With around 30,000 m² of retail space distributed across 140 shops and 1,300 parking spaces, the station has become a service centre. The promenades offer travellers and residents alike a place for encounter and stay, bringing mobility and urbanity together.

Project Profile

Project: Revitalisation of Central Station
Location: Leipzig
Client: DB Immobilienfonds 7 Wieland KG
Completion: 1997
Uses: Station, service centre

Frontal view of a wide escalator system in the main station with upper entrance hall, retail shops on several levels and architecturally clearly structured wall and window openings.

Interior shot of a historic railway station with a high hall, sandstone-coloured façade architecture, large advertising banners and busy walkways showing the transition between platforms and shopping areas.