The station building in Warburg after renovation, which cost 2 million euros
As Deutsche Welle notes, many of the German stations were built in the 19th century – in the era of the Gründerzeit, when Germany experienced an unprecedented economic boom. But today in small towns and villages, these solid buildings are hardly used, if at all. And all because the need for them has disappeared: tickets are sold at automatic ticket machines on the platform, railway workers and their families, who were once allocated station premises for living, have long lived in separate houses or apartments. And about ten years ago, the Deutsche Bahn concern, Germany's main railway operator, began selling its idle station buildings. But who are the buyers?
Once upon a time, these solid passenger premises housed a waiting room, a ticket hall, a luggage storage, a restaurant, and even a shoemaker's workshop, while the service areas included storerooms, equipment rooms, the station master's office, and living quarters for the station master and his family. Now, the station in Falkenberg, Brandenburg, has a different purpose.
The rooms on the first floor have been converted into an art studio. To the sound of passing trains, local artist Ariane Boss lives here with her family and paints. Other rooms in the station have been converted into apartments, where about 20 people live.
The owner of the building is Ariane's husband, real estate broker Thomas Wittstock. In total, he has already bought nine stations: he converted them, renovated them, and now rents out the premises – for shared student apartments, event halls, art studios, restaurants, cafes, discos, museums, travel agencies, and small manufactories.
“There are more than enough people willing to buy a small passenger station. Over the past few years, we have sold about 2,100 such stations. We have only 800 left, but we want to keep 500 of them in our ownership. In any case, demand is so high that we even hold a buyer competition: we only sell to those who have enough funds to renovate these historic buildings and maintain them in good condition. We want old stations to end up in good hands,” says Norbert Giersdorf, official representative of Deutsche Bahn.
Stations vary greatly. Accordingly, prices also vary. “The most affordable stations are located in eastern Germany. In general, everything depends on the location and condition of the property. For example, a rural passenger station with a very unsightly appearance and in need of serious renovation, with an area of 280 square meters in the state of Baden-Württemberg, is worth at most 80,000 euros. But a station in Heidelberg, though smaller in area, but in good condition, sells for 525,000,” Norbert Giersdorf gives an example.
Incidentally, investors who decide to invest capital in purchasing a station building are immediately informed: they will have to accept that the roar of diesel horns and the clatter of train wheels will regularly be heard here. “The train schedules on the sections will remain unchanged; changes due to the new purpose of the station buildings are excluded. The same applies to stops: if a stop is scheduled, the train will continue to stop here in the future,” notes Norbert Giersdorf.
The inhabitants of the Buddhist temple that has found shelter within the walls of the former passenger station in Warburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, are not bothered by the proximity to the railway. About seven years ago, specifically for Buddhist monks, among whom she has friends, this building, erected back in the 1850s, was bought and completely renovated by local orthodontist Charlotte Gormsen. Now the Buddhists rent it.
“This station was in such disrepair that the Deutsche Bahn concern set a purely symbolic price for it: I bought it for just 1 euro. But the renovation cost me 2 million euros. You can't imagine what this historic building looked like: the once elegant brick turrets had collapsed, trees had grown into the walls – in short, complete neglect,” says Charlotte Gormsen.
But in the end, the Warburg station was completely restored. Moreover, during the reconstruction, materials identical to the original ones used in its construction were used. And they were prepared according to the recipes of old masters. Now the Warburg station, repurposed into a Buddhist temple, is under state protection – as a valuable historical and cultural monument. And subsidies are allocated for its maintenance – both from Germany and from the European Union.
“I am glad that I contributed to transforming the idle station into a Buddhist center. Germany is a multinational country. And the rich diversity of cultures is the main link in forming a tolerant consciousness in people,” believes German doctor and investor Charlotte Gormsen.