User:OberMegaTrans/ws2022/Karlsplatzstation

Final draft
Karlsplatz is a station on U1, U2 and U4 of the Vienna U-Bahn. It is located in the Innere Stadt District. It first opened on June 30, 1899 as the Academiestrasse station of the Wiener Stadtbahn, and received its current name in the same year that the associated square was named after Karl VI. At the same time, the company abbreviation changed from AK to KP. After the cessation of steam operation in 1918, the Wiener Elektrische Stadtbahn operated as a replacement from 1925. Upon the commissioning of the first subway section of the U1 from Reumannplatz on February 25, 1978, Karlsplatz also became an underground station and, after the platforms on Lines U2 and U4 opened in 1980, is now the largest transport hub for Wiener Linien.

Art
The following art is found in the station.


 * "Pi" by Ken Lum.
 * Rauminstallation by Peter Kogler
 * Fries "Unisono di colori" by Ernst Friedrich and Eleonor Friedrich

Introduction
The station Karlsplatz was opened on June 30th 1899 under the name „Akademiestraße“ for the Vienna steam tramway and received its current designation in the same year, when the affiliated square was named after Charles IV. At the same time the operational contraction changed from AK to KP. After the discontinuation of the steam ways in the year 1918, the “Wiener Elektrische Stadtbahn” ran as a substitute as of 1925. The Karlsplatz also became a subway station on February 25th 1978 with the launch of the first subway part of the U1, starting from Reumannplatz, and is now the biggest traffic junction of the Wiener Linien.

Lage
Durch ihre Lage im Zentrum der Stadt ist die Station von zahlreichen wichtigen Punkten umgeben: Am Ausgang der im Zuge der Bauarbeiten für die U-Bahn nach Süden zum Resselpark verlängerten Opernpassage befinden sich das Hauptgebäude der Technischen Universität, der Resselpark und die Karlskirche und am nördlichen Ausgang das Operngebäude, der Eingang zur Fußgängerzone Kärntner Straße und zahlreiche hochpreisige Hotels. Durch die unterdessen weit verzweigten Passagen sind außerdem die Oper, die Secession und der Naschmarkt, das Künstlerhaus und der Musikverein gut erreichbar.

Stadtbahn
In den frühen Stadtbahnplanungen des Jahres 1890 taucht die Station noch unter dem Namen Schwarzenbergbrücke auf. Da diese aber schon 1895 abgerissen wurde, einigte man sich zunächst auf den Namen Academiestraße. Die im Auftrag der Commission für Verkehrsanlagen in Wien errichtete und im Mai 1898 baulich fertiggestellte Station stellte architektonisch einen Sonderfall im Stadtbahnnetz dar: Die oberirdischen Bauten der ursprünglich oben offenen Station bestehen aus zwei mit Ornamenten reich verzierten, einander gegenüberliegenden Pavillons. Im Gegensatz zu den anderen Stationen wurden sie vom Architekten Otto Wagner als Stahlskelettbau mit vorgehängten Marmorplatten ausgeführt und im damals sehr modernen Jugendstil dekoriert, die Blumenornamente gestaltete Joseph Maria Olbrich. Von jedem Pavillon führte ursprünglich nur ein Stiegenabgang zu je einem der beiden versetzt angelegten Seitenbahnsteige.

U-Bahn I
Die Umstellung der Unteren Wientallinie auf U-Bahn-Betrieb in den Jahren 1976 bis 1981 brachte einen Totalumbau der unterirdischen Anlagen der Station mit sich. Die Pavillons hätten im Zuge des U-Bahn-Baus ursprünglich entfernt werden sollen, wurden nach Protesten aber renoviert und zwei Meter über dem damaligen Straßenniveau wieder aufgebaut. Der westliche Pavillon beherbergt heute eine Außenstelle des Wien Museums mit einer Ausstellung über das Werk Otto Wagners und an seiner Rückseite einen Zugang zur U-Bahn-Station, ein direkter Zugang zu den Bahnsteigen ist heute nicht mehr möglich. Der östliche Zugang wird heute als Café genutzt.

Während der Planungs- und Bauperiode wurden feste Stufen und Rolltreppen noch für ausreichend als Verbindung zwischen den Stockwerken gehalten. Erst später wurden die Bedürfnisse von Rollstuhlfahrern, Behinderten und Personen mit Kinderwagen erkannt, so dass die älteren U-Bahn-Stationen mit Liftanlagen nachgerüstet wurden. 1995 wurde der Bahnsteig der U4 mit einem Lift zur ein Stockwerk höher gelegenen Opernpassage ausgestattet, 1996 folgte je ein Aufzug zu jedem der beiden Bahnsteige der U2.

There was not a lot of media coverage on the start of construction. November 3, 1969 is given as the official start of building work. It attracted much more public attention when, on August 18, 1973, two subway cars were lowered onto the tracks of the U1 at Karlsplatz using a crane truck (cars 2003 and 3003). The large foundation pit was also the location for the 1973 film Scorpio and the crime scene episode Frauenmord from the same year. Although only the Reumannplatz–Karlsplatz stage was officially opened in 1978, the empty subway trains were already running to the Stephansplatz station. The reason for this was that there was no reversing facility at Karlsplatz and the Stephansplatz station was not yet open to passengers.

During the conversion work on the former Stadtbahn (German for "city railway") line, the Stadtbahn coming from Hütteldorf and the U4 coming from Heiligenstadt met here from August 15, 1978. Passengers who wanted to travel across Karlsplatz had to change here on the common platform. This was raised to the necessary entry level along the subway track using wooden planks. With the extension of the U4 to Meidlinger Hauptstrasse on October 26, 1980, the Karlsplatz station became an underground station only.

The U2 was made from the pre-metro line under the so-called "Lastenstraße" (also called "Zweierlinie"), the tram line of which had been lowered. The Ustraba Tunnel was connected to the Karlsplatz station by means of a new 400 meter long line. In addition, a reversing facility 200 meters long was erected in the direction of the Musikverein building. As a precautionary measure, the Society of Friends of Music made an objection, fearing noise pollution from the construction work and subsequent subway operations. In view of the extension of the U2 to the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in May 2008 and the associated use of long trains, the turning system of the U2, which is located under Karlsplatz in the area of the Musikverein, was rebuilt in the years 1999 to 2001. At the same time, the Musikverein was rebuilt and expanded underground.

The U2/U4 line only existed for a short time, from September 7th to 25th, 1981. The trains on this line ran from Karlsplatz via the U2 route, transferred from the Schottenring subway station to the U4 tracks via a route planned as an operating track and then drove back to Karlsplatz on this route and then on to the subway station Hietzing. Because this spontaneous idea of a subway ring around the inner city did not work out and messed up the timetable, this line variant was discontinued after a short time.

suggestions:
 * premetro track/line for Unterpflasterstraßenbahnstrecke

Expansion project "Line crossroad U2/U5"
As part of the U2/U5 line crossroads expansion project, the U2 is to be given a new southern branch and no longer pass through Karlsplatz. Instead, the Karlsplatz station will be operated by the new U5. Since this subway line will run fully automatically, platform screen doors will be retrofitted within the framework of a two-year closure of the Schottentor–Karlsplatz route. After the closure, only the U2 will initially pass through the station, after its opening also the U5 and after the opening of the new southern branch of the U2 only the U5.

The Station
Karlsplatz station remains to be the biggest traffic junction of the Wiener Linien. The platforms are reached on one side through a main passage that was created by linking Kärntnertor-, West- and Opernpassage  to form a 200m long underground connection of Karlsplatz and Opernplatz, and on the other side through Passage Karlsplatz (Karlsplatzpassage). With 233.000 passengers per day, the subway station Karlsplatz is among the most frequented ones in Vienna (as of 2011). The viennese subway lines U1, U2, and U4 intersect here. There are options to change lines to Badner Bahn, tram lines 1 and 62, the city bus lines 4A and 59A, and the regional bus lines 7900/G1 and 7996/311. Additionally, the tram D, 2, and 71, as well as 2A (city bus), and the local bus line 360 (run by Wiener Lokalbahnen), make a stop at the station Oper and Karslplatz, which are reached though the Opera Passage.

The platforms of the U1 are centrally arranged and are 24,63 meters underneath the level of Kärner Straße, at the lowest point of the station. The tracks of the U1 lead through two separate tubes to Karlsplatz Station. Two levels above is the final destination of the U2 line, with side platforms. Above U1 and below U2 and U4 is a connecting floor, another floor and a lower mezzanine link the platforms of the U2 and the U1 to Kärntnertorpassage. The U1 is also directly accessible via the Opernpassage.

Control center
With the construction of the Karlsplatz subway station, a control station was also built, necessary for the monitoring of the subway. The constant extention of the rail network and newly added tasks for monitoring pushed the capacities of the control center to its limits. Since 2006 it has been gradually moved to a new construction site at the depot in Erdberg.

Art & Layout
The area of the station is visually enhanced at the surface by the two pavilions of the light rail. There are four works of subway art located in the underground network of passages round Karlsplatz:

Since 2003 there is the 16 meter long frieze Unisono di Colori by the artist couple Ernst and Eleonore Friedrich in the Karlsplatz passage. It consists of a rhythmic interplay of differently designed rectangular panels that are distinct from each other in material, design of the surface, and colourfulness.

In 2005/2006 the "Medieninstallation Pi" by Canadian artist Ken Lum was put up in the western passage – the hallway from Kärntnertorpassage to the exit Secession. Over a length of 130 meters, 16 different statistics – called „factoids“ - are displayed in real-time via LED on reflective showcases next to the number pi. Social and economic facts are supposed to be made tangible this way, while the viewer is made a part of the display by the reflective wall. The installation was produced by Wissenschaftszentrum Wien in cooperation with the Wiener Linien.

Since early 2012 the walls of the connecting passage for the U1 and U2 are covered by an untitled graphical installation by multi-media artist Peter Kogler. A wallpaper-like network of computer generated tubular shapes on the walls seems to transcend the barriers of architecture and allude to the transferring rolle of the space for the passers-by. It is not by accident that the geometrical tubular shapes are reminiscent of abstract organic capillary systems, or the microscopic structure of crystal matter – but also of subway systems.

An untitled installation of Tyrolean artist Ernst Caramelle is located on the walls of Kärntnertorpassage since September of 2013. The mural painting measuring 70 x 3 meters is spread across eight panels that are occupied by simple spatial constellations. Panels with a frontal perspective alternate with those of a distorted perspective. The feeling of enlargement and rhythmization is intensified by the painting mirroring slightly on the same-sized milk glass wall on the opposite, while additionally implemented mirrors let singular details flash briefly while walking by.

Literature

 * Wolfgang Kos, Günter Dinhobl (Hrsg.): Großer Bahnhof. Wien und die weite Welt. Czernin, Wien 2006, ISBN 3-7076-0212-5 (Sonderausstellung des Wien-Museums 332), (Ausstellungskatalog, Wien, Wien-Museum, 28. September 2006 – 25. Februar 2007)
 * Alfred Horn: Wiener Stadtbahn – 90 Jahre Stadtbahn – 10 Jahre U-Bahn. Bohmann Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H. & Co.KG, Wien 1988, ISBN 3-7002-0678-X
 * Wolfgang Kaiser: Die Wiener Straßenbahnen – Vom „Hutscherl“ bis zum „Ulf“. GeraMond-Verlag, Wien 2004, ISBN 3-7654-7189-5

Weblinks
- Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien
 * Bilder der Stadtbahn-Pavillons und anderer Gebäude von Wagner (Texte auf Englisch)
 * Station Karlsplatz (U1, U2 und U4) – Informationen der Wiener Linien
 * U-Bahn-Knoten Karlsplatz, Grafik vom Jänner 1969 auf den Seiten des Wiener Rathauses

Introduction
Karlsplatz is a station on U1, U2 and U4 of the Vienna U-Bahn.[1] It is located in the Innere Stadt District. It first opened on June 30, 1899 as the Academiestrasse station of the Wiener Stadtbahn, and received its current name in the same year that the associated square was named after Karl VI. At the same time, the company abbreviation changed from AK to KP. After the cessation of steam operation in 1918, the Wiener Elektrische Stadtbahn operated as a replacement from 1925. Upon the commissioning of the first subway section of the U1 from Reumannplatz on February 25, 1978, Karlsplatz also became an underground station and, after the platforms on Lines U2 and U4 opened in 1980, is now the largest transport hub for Wiener Linien.

Art
The following art is found in the station.


 * "Pi" by Ken Lum.
 * Rauminstallation by Peter Kogler
 * Fries "Unisono di colori" by Ernst Friedrich and Eleonor Friedrich

Introduction
The station Karlsplatz was opened on June 30th 1899 under the name „Akademiestraße“ for the Vienna steam tramway and received its current designation in the same year, when the affiliated square was named after Charles IV. At the same time the operational contraction changed from AK to KP. After the discontinuation of the steam ways in the year 1918, the “Wiener Elektrische Stadtbahn” ran as a substitute as of 1925. The Karlsplatz also became a subway station on February 25th 1978 with the launch of the first subway part of the U1, starting from Reumannplatz, and is now the biggest traffic junction of the Wiener Linien.

Lage
Durch ihre Lage im Zentrum der Stadt ist die Station von zahlreichen wichtigen Punkten umgeben: Am Ausgang der im Zuge der Bauarbeiten für die U-Bahn nach Süden zum Resselpark verlängerten Opernpassage befinden sich das Hauptgebäude der Technischen Universität, der Resselpark und die Karlskirche und am nördlichen Ausgang das Operngebäude, der Eingang zur Fußgängerzone Kärntner Straße und zahlreiche hochpreisige Hotels. Durch die unterdessen weit verzweigten Passagen sind außerdem die Oper, die Secession und der Naschmarkt, das Künstlerhaus und der Musikverein gut erreichbar.

Stadtbahn
In den frühen Stadtbahnplanungen des Jahres 1890 taucht die Station noch unter dem Namen Schwarzenbergbrücke auf. Da diese aber schon 1895 abgerissen wurde, einigte man sich zunächst auf den Namen Academiestraße. Die im Auftrag der Commission für Verkehrsanlagen in Wien errichtete und im Mai 1898 baulich fertiggestellte Station stellte architektonisch einen Sonderfall im Stadtbahnnetz dar: Die oberirdischen Bauten der ursprünglich oben offenen Station bestehen aus zwei mit Ornamenten reich verzierten, einander gegenüberliegenden Pavillons. Im Gegensatz zu den anderen Stationen wurden sie vom Architekten Otto Wagner als Stahlskelettbau mit vorgehängten Marmorplatten ausgeführt und im damals sehr modernen Jugendstil dekoriert, die Blumenornamente gestaltete Joseph Maria Olbrich. Von jedem Pavillon führte ursprünglich nur ein Stiegenabgang zu je einem der beiden versetzt angelegten Seitenbahnsteige.

U-Bahn I
Die Umstellung der Unteren Wientallinie auf U-Bahn-Betrieb in den Jahren 1976 bis 1981 brachte einen Totalumbau der unterirdischen Anlagen der Station mit sich. Die Pavillons hätten im Zuge des U-Bahn-Baus ursprünglich entfernt werden sollen, wurden nach Protesten aber renoviert und zwei Meter über dem damaligen Straßenniveau wieder aufgebaut. Der westliche Pavillon beherbergt heute eine Außenstelle des Wien Museums mit einer Ausstellung über das Werk Otto Wagners und an seiner Rückseite einen Zugang zur U-Bahn-Station, ein direkter Zugang zu den Bahnsteigen ist heute nicht mehr möglich. Der östliche Zugang wird heute als Café genutzt.

Während der Planungs- und Bauperiode wurden feste Stufen und Rolltreppen noch für ausreichend als Verbindung zwischen den Stockwerken gehalten. Erst später wurden die Bedürfnisse von Rollstuhlfahrern, Behinderten und Personen mit Kinderwagen erkannt, so dass die älteren U-Bahn-Stationen mit Liftanlagen nachgerüstet wurden. 1995 wurde der Bahnsteig der U4 mit einem Lift zur ein Stockwerk höher gelegenen Opernpassage ausgestattet, 1996 folgte je ein Aufzug zu jedem der beiden Bahnsteige der U2.

Subway II
There was no commencement of construction that would be well-covered by the media. November 3, 1969 is given as the official start of building work. It attracted much more public attention when, on August 18, 1973, two subway cars were lowered onto the tracks of the U1 at Karlsplatz using a crane truck (cars 2003 and 3003). The large foundation pit pit was also the location for the 1973 film Scorpio and the crime scene episode Frauenmord from the same year. Although only the Reumannplatz–Karlsplatz stage was officially opened in 1978, the empty subway trains were already running to the Stephansplatz station. The reason for this was that there was no reversing facility at Karlsplatz and the Stephansplatz station was not yet open to passengers.

During the conversion work on the former Stadtbahn (German for "city railway") line, the Stadtbahn coming from Hütteldorf and the U4 coming from Heiligenstadt met here from August 15, 1978. Passengers who wanted to travel across Karlsplatz had to change here on the common platform. This was raised to the necessary entry level along the subway track using wooden planks. With the extension of the U4 to Meidlinger Hauptstrasse on October 26, 1980, the Karlsplatz station became an underground station only.

The U2 was made from the sub-paved tram (pre-metro tramway?) line under the so-called "Lastenstraße" (also called "Zweierlinie"), the tram line of which had been lowered. The Ustraba Tunnel was connected to the Karlsplatz station by means of a new 400 meter long line. In addition, a reversing facility 200 meters long was erected in the direction of the Musikverein building. As a precautionary measure, the Society of Friends of Music lodged an objection, fearing noise pollution from the construction work and subsequent subway operations. In view of the extension of the U2 to the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in May 2008 and the associated use of long trains, the turning system of the U2, which is located under Karlsplatz in the area of the Musikverein, was rebuilt in the years 1999 to 2001. At the same time, the Musikverein was rebuilt and expanded underground.

The U2/U4 line only existed for a short time, from September 7th to 25th, 1981. The trains on this line ran from Karlsplatz via the U2 route, transferred from the Schottenring subway station to the U4 tracks via a route planned as an operating track and then drove back to Karlsplatz on this route and then on to the subway station Hietzing. Because of this spontaneous idea of a subway ring around the inner city did not work out and messed up the timetable, this line variant was discontinued after a short time. [6]

Expansion project "Line crossroad U2/U5"
As part of the U2/U5 line crossroads expansion project, the U2 is to be given a new southern branch and no longer serve Karlsplatz. Instead, the Karlsplatz station will be operated by the new U5. Since this subway line will run fully automatically, platform screen doors will be retrofitted within the framework of a two-year closure of the Schottentor–Karlsplatz route. After the closure, only the U2 will initially serve the station, after its opening also the U5 and after the opening of the new southern branch of the U2 only the U5.[7]

suggestions

 * 1st line: There was not a lot of media coverage on the start of construction...
 * ...made an objection instead of lodged an objection (less fancy)
 * Because of this spontaneous idea of a subway ring around the inner city did not work
 * "pass through/pass by" instead of "serve"
 * "operate" works better for "bedienen" than "serve"

Karlsplatz station
Karlsplatz station remains to be the biggest traffic junction of the Wiener Linien. The platforms are reached on one side through a main passage that was created by linking Kärntnertor-, West- and Opernpassage  to form a 200m long underground connection of Karlsplatz and Opernplatz, and on the other side through Passage Karlsplatz (Karlsplatzpassage). With 233.000 passengers per day, the subway station Karlsplatz is among the most frequented ones in Vienna (as of 2011). The viennese subway lines U1, U2, and U4 intersect here. There are options to change lines to Badner Bahn, tram lines 1 and 62, the city bus lines 4A and 59A, and the regional bus lines 7900/G1 and 7996/311. Additionally, the tram D, 2, and 71, as well as 2A (city bus), and the local bus line 360 (run by Wiener Lokalbahnen), make a stop at the station Oper and Karslplatz, which are reached though the Opera Passage.

The platforms of the U1 are centrally arranged and are 24,63 meters underneath the level of Kärner Straße, at the lowest point of the station. The tracks of the U1 lead through two separate tubes to Karlsplatz Station. Two levels above is the final destination of the U2 line, with side platforms. Above U1 and below U2 and U4 is a connecting floor, another floor and a lower mezzanine link the platforms of the U2 and the U1 to Kärntnertorpassage. The U1 is also directly accessible via the Opernpassage.

control center
With the construction of the Karlsplatz subway station, a control station was also built, necessary for the monitoring of the subway. The constant extention of the rail network and newly added tasks for monitoring pushed the capacities of the control center to its limits. Since 2006 it has been gradually moved to a new construction site at the depot in Erdberg.

decoration
The area of the station is visually enhanced at the surface by the two pavilions of the light rail. There are four works of subway art located in the underground network of passages round Karlsplatz: Since 2003 there is the 16 meter long frieze Unisono di Colori by the artist couple Ernst and Eleonore Friedrich in the Karlsplatz passage. It consists of a rhythmic interplay of differently designed rectangular panels that are distinct from each other in material, design of the surface, and colourfulness.

In 2005/2006 the "Medieninstallation Pi" by Canadian artist Ken Lum was put up in the western passage – the hallway from Kärntnertorpassage to the exit Secession. Over a length of 130 meters, 16 different statistics – called „factoids“ - are displayed in real-time via LED on reflective showcases next to the number pi. Social and economic facts are supposed to be made tangible this way, while the viewer is made a part of the display by the reflective wall. The installation was produced by Wissenschaftszentrum Wien in cooperation with the Wiener Linien.

Since early 2012 the walls of the connecting passage for the U2 and U2 are covered by the graphical installation „Ohne Titel“ by multi-media artist Peter Kogler. A wallpaper-like network of computer generated tubular shapes on the walls seems to transcend the barriers of architecture and allude to the transferring rolle of the space for the passers-by. It is not by accident that the geometrical tubular shapes are reminiscent of abstract organic capillary systems, or the microscopic structure of crystal matter – but also of subway systems.

An untitled installation of Tyrolean artist Ernst Caramelle is located on the walls of Kärntnertorpassage since September of 2013. The mural painting measuring 70 x 3 meters is spread across eight panels that are occupied by simple spatial constellations. Panels with a frontal perspective alternate with those of a distorted perspective. The feeling of enlargement and rhythmization is intensified by the painting mirroring slightly on the same-sized milk glass wall on the opposite, while additionally implemented mirrors let singular details flash briefly while walking by.

Literatur

 * Wolfgang Kos, Günter Dinhobl (Hrsg.): Großer Bahnhof. Wien und die weite Welt. Czernin, Wien 2006, ISBN 3-7076-0212-5 (Sonderausstellung des Wien-Museums 332), (Ausstellungskatalog, Wien, Wien-Museum, 28. September 2006 – 25. Februar 2007)
 * Alfred Horn: Wiener Stadtbahn – 90 Jahre Stadtbahn – 10 Jahre U-Bahn. Bohmann Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H. & Co.KG, Wien 1988, ISBN 3-7002-0678-X
 * Wolfgang Kaiser: Die Wiener Straßenbahnen – Vom „Hutscherl“ bis zum „Ulf“. GeraMond-Verlag, Wien 2004, ISBN 3-7654-7189-5

Weblinks

 * Bilder der Stadtbahn-Pavillons und anderer Gebäude von Wagner (Texte auf Englisch)
 * Station Karlsplatz (U1, U2 und U4) – Informationen der Wiener Linien
 * U-Bahn-Knoten Karlsplatz, Grafik vom Jänner 1969 auf den Seiten des Wiener Rathauses