Enkenbach Station
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Enkenbach station is the only station in
Enkenbach-Alsenborn Enkenbach-Alsenborn is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea ...
in the German state of
Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
. It has two platforms tracks and is located in the network of the
Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) is a List of German transport associations, transport association covering parts of the States of Germany, German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse in south-west Germany. Founded i ...
(
Rhine-Neckar The Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (, ), often referred to as the Rhein-Neckar Triangle, is a polycentric Metropolitan regions in Germany, metropolitan region located in south western Germany, between the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region to the nor ...
transport association, VRN) and belongs to fare zone 828. Its address is ''Bahnhofstraße 2''. It is located on the
Alsenz Valley Railway The Alsenz Valley Railway () is a line that runs from Hochspeyer station, Hochspeyer via Winnweiler station, Winnweiler and Alsenz station, Alsenz to Bad Münster am Stein station, Bad Munster am Stein in the German state of Rhineland-Palatina ...
(''Alsenztalbahn'',
Hochspeyer Hochspeyer () is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate forest (Pfälzer Wald), approx. 10 km east of Kaiserslautern. Hochspeyer was the seat of the former Verba ...
Bad Münster) and was put into service on 29 October 1870 with the opening of the section from Hochspeyer to
Winnweiler Winnweiler () is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the upper course of the river Alsenz (river), Alsenz, approx. north-east of Kaiserslautern. Winnweiler is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemei ...
. On 16 May of the following year it was opened over its whole length. In 1875, the station became the eastern end of the
Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway The Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway is a single-track main line in the Western Palatinate. It runs within the area of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (Rhene-Neckar transport association, VRN). It was built in 1875 to shorten the route for t ...
, which formed a shorter route for trains from the Alsenz line to
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
. In 1932, the
Eis Valley Railway The Eis Valley Railway () is a branch line in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, that runs through the Palatine Forest. It runs from Grünstadt in a southwesterly direction through the valley of the Eisbach (or "Eis") to Enkenbach. The s ...
(''Eistalbahn'',
Grünstadt Grünstadt () is a town in the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a kind of collective municipality – but is noneth ...
Eisenberg), which was opened in 1876, was extended through to Enkenbach. Between
Eiswoog The Eiswoog is a reservoir, roughly six hectares in area, on the Eisbach (Rhine), Eisbach stream, locally also called ''die Eis'', in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is oriented from south to north in the water meadows near the source ...
and Enkenbach, the latter line has now been closed.


Location

The station is located on the eastern edge of the Enkenbach district of the Enkenbach-Alsenborn municipality of Rhineland-Palatinate. The local streets of ''Bahnhofstraße'' and ''Klosterbach'' run to the west of and parallel to it. ''Rosenhofstraße'' – which is also marked as state route 395 – crosses the southern station area. Just east of the station is the village of Alsenborn. It has parking, bicycle parking, a bus stop and a
barrier-free Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability, or other factors. It emerged as a rights-based, anti-discrimination measure, which seeks to create design ...
entrance.


Railway lines

The Alsenz Valley Railway runs in the station area from the south-southeast to the north-northwest. South of Enkenbach the otherwise two-track line has only one track. The Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway reaches the station from a south-west direction in a 90-degree curve. The Eis Valley Railway, which has been closed in this area, crossed the Alsenz line north of the station, and then entered the Stumpfwald via Alsenborn.


History


Planning, construction and early years

Around 1860, there were the first plans for a railway line along the
Alsenz Alsenz () is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Alsenz has an area of 12.88 km2 and a population of 1,647 (as of December 31, 2020). Culture and sights In the centre of the village is the Re ...
. This would have connected with the
Neustadt–Wissembourg railway The Neustadt–Wissembourg railway, also called the ''Pfälzische Maximiliansbahn'' ("Palatine Maximilian Railway"), ''Maximiliansbahn'' or just the ''Maxbahn'' - is a railway line in southwestern Germany that runs from Neustadt an der Weinstras ...
(''Maximiliansbahn'') and the section of the Palatine Ludwig Railway (''Pfälzischen Ludwigsbahn'', now mainly the
Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway The Mannheim–Saarbrücken railway () is a railway in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland that runs through Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Kaiserslautern, Homburg (Saar), Homburg an ...
) immediately west of Neustadt as a through route in the north-south direction. Since Enkenbach itself is not on the river, it was unclear whether the line would have passed through it. The town of
Otterberg Otterberg () is a town in the district of Kaiserslautern in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate with about 7,350 (as of 6/2006) inhabitants. It is situated approximately north of Kaiserslautern. Otterberg is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemein ...
, which lies further west, sought, for example, a route through its territory. However, the competent engineer rejected this and recommended a route through Enkenbach to
Hochspeyer Hochspeyer () is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated in the Palatinate forest (Pfälzer Wald), approx. 10 km east of Kaiserslautern. Hochspeyer was the seat of the former Verba ...
, since this was topographically easier. The Hochspeyer–Winnweiler section was opened on 29 October 1870 and on 16 May of the following year, the line to
Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
was completed. In the beginning, Enkenbach was a stop for long-distance trains towards Neustadt and
Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
. Although the line connected towards Kaiserslautern at
Hochspeyer station Hochspeyer station – originally officially ''Neuhochspeyer'' or ''Neu-Hochspeyer'' – is the station of the town of Hochspeyer in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Deutsche Bahn classifies it as belonging to German railway station categ ...
, the municipality felt the route through Hochspeyer was inconvenient. Therefore, the
Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway The Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway is a single-track main line in the Western Palatinate. It runs within the area of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (Rhene-Neckar transport association, VRN). It was built in 1875 to shorten the route for t ...
was opened on 15 May 1875.


Further development

Already during the planning of the
Eis Valley Railway The Eis Valley Railway () is a branch line in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, that runs through the Palatine Forest. It runs from Grünstadt in a southwesterly direction through the valley of the Eisbach (or "Eis") to Enkenbach. The s ...
, which opened in 1876 and ran from
Grünstadt Grünstadt () is a town in the Bad Dürkheim (district), Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – a kind of collective municipality – but is noneth ...
to Eisenberg, there were plans to extend it to Enkenbach in the long term. This would have also given the shortest possible connection between Kaiserslautern and
Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
. However, the resistance of
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
prevented the connection being built. At the beginning of the 20th century, construction was prevented by the First World War. In 1922, the station was integrated into the newly founded ''Reichsbahndirektion Ludwigshafen'' ( railway division of
Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
). In the same year the construction of the extension of the Eis Valley Railway to Enkenbach began, but it was interrupted by the occupation of the Palatinate by the French. It was not until 5 November 1932 that the Eis Valley Railway was connected to Enkenbach. During the dissolution of the railway division of Ludwigshafen, on 1 April 1937, it was transferred to the railway division of Mainz. After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the newly founded
Deutsche Bundesbahn Deutsche Bundesbahn (, ) or DB () was formed as the state railway of the newly established West Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remained the state railway of West Germany u ...
(DB) incorporated the station into the railway division of Mainz, which was assigned all the railway lines in the newly created state of Rhineland-Palatinate. As early as 1971, it became a part of the railway division of
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
with the dissolution of the railway division of Mainz. In 2000, the station, like the entire
Western Palatinate Western Palatinate or West Palatinate (, ) is a sub-region in the west of the Palatinate, a German cultural and historic region in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It includes the western part of the Palatine Forest, the central part of the Nort ...
, became part of the Westpfalz-Verkehrsverbund (Western Palatinate transport association, WVV) at its foundation, but the WVV was absorbed into the
Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) is a List of German transport associations, transport association covering parts of the States of Germany, German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse in south-west Germany. Founded i ...
(Rhine-Neckar transport association, VRN) six years later.


Entrance building

The entrance building was built in the
neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...
. Similar buildings were also found in the railway network of the
Palatinate Railway The Palatine Railways (), often abbreviated to Palatinate Railway (''Pfalzbahn'') was the name of the railway division and administration responsible for all private railway companies in the Bavarian Palatinate from 1844 to 1908. The railway d ...
stations of
Annweiler am Trifels Annweiler am Trifels (), or Annweiler is a town in the Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Queich, 12 km west of Landau. Annweiler am Trifels station is on the Landau–Saarbrücken r ...
,
Kirchheimbolanden Kirchheimbolanden is the capital and the second largest city of the Donnersbergkreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate. Situated in south-western Germany, it is approximately 25 km west of Worms, Germany, Worms, and 30 km north-east of Kaisersla ...
, Langmeil and
Marnheim Marnheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography Marnheim is located around 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Kirchheimbolanden. The nearest bigger cities are Worms and Kaiserslautern. The Pfrimm river ...
.


Operations


Passenger services

In the first years services to Kaiserslautern ran exclusively via Hochspeyer, until 1875 with the
Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway The Kaiserslautern–Enkenbach railway is a single-track main line in the Western Palatinate. It runs within the area of the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (Rhene-Neckar transport association, VRN). It was built in 1875 to shorten the route for t ...
a shortcut was created. After the completion of the
Biebermühl Railway The Biebermühl Railway ()—sometimes called the Moosalbbahn (Moosalb Railway)—is a 35.9 km long railway line from Kaiserslautern to Pirmasens in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which was built between 1875 and 1913. The first ...
(Kaiserslautern–Pirmasens) in 1913, a continuous service ran through Enkenbach over the
Donnersberg Railway The Donnersberg Railway () is a branch line from Alzey to Kirchheimbolanden, which originally ran as far as Marnheim. Although it was once part of the main line from Kaiserslautern to Mainz, the Pfrimm Viaduct was blown up in 1945 during the S ...
(''Donnersbergbahn'') to
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
and over the
Zeller Valley Railway References External links StreckeninformationenFörderverein Eistalbahn e. V.– Fahrplaninformationen, Betriebsführung und Instandhaltung Infrastrukturbetreiber der Strecke Railway lines in Rhineland-Palatinate North Palatinate Palatinate ...
(''Zellertalbahn'') and on to
Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...
. The trains of the Alsenz Valley Railway used to continue to Pirmasens from 1994 to 2002. The following service stops at Enkenbach station:


Freight

Freight transport has now been abandoned and all the tracks have been dismantled.


Sources


References


Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Enkenbach station Railway stations in Rhineland-Palatinate Buildings and structures in Kaiserslautern (district) Railway stations in Germany opened in 1870 Neoclassical architecture in Germany