Bahnhof Schiffbrücke
Former Deutz station in a converted hotel where Queen Victoria stayed in 1858. Cologne locals nicknamed it “Marienbildchen”.
In the 19th century, the lines of several railway companies ended in Deutz, including two rival firms. The Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company took its line all the way to the banks of the Rhine.
Source: Wikipedia
Auf einen Blick
- Type
- former railway station with a station hotel, now demolished
- Other names
- Bergisch-Märkischer Bahnhof, Rechtsrheinischer Bahnhof, known locally as “Marienbildchen”
- Location
- at the Deutz pontoon bridge (Deutzer Schiffbrücke) in the Deutz district, Innenstadt borough
- Opened
- 20 September 1882
- Operator
- Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company
- Sale
- railway grounds including the station, 1913
- End
- had to make way for the construction of the Deutzer Brücke
The Schiffbrücke station was set up in a former luxury hotel that partly stood on remains of Roman fort walls and where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stayed overnight in 1858; Cologne locals therefore nicknamed the station "Marienbildchen".
How the Tracks Reached the Rhine
The Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company operated a line from Elberfeld to Deutz and built a second goods yard in the north. In 1882 it extended the line along the Rhine on an embankment to the Deutz pontoon bridge, where the “Schiffbrücke” station was built. The originally planned, larger railway complex was never realized. Instead, the company preserved the buildings it had purchased as far as possible and put them to use for railway operations.
From Abbey Property to Station Hotel
The station building was the former luxury hotel “Bellevue”, which stood partly on remains of Roman fort walls. The building had once belonged to the Deutz Abbey of St. Heribert and, after secularization in 1807, became known as “Marienbildchen”. In 1833 it was converted into a hotel for aristocrats and wealthy English visitors. It stood right next to the landing stage of the pontoon bridge, and a viewing platform offered a panorama of Cologne’s skyline. In 1858 Queen Victoria and her consort Albert stayed here with their entourage. After its conversion into the “Bahnhotel Belle-Vue”, the ground floor housed waiting rooms and offices. Because of the hotel’s earlier name, Cologne residents also called the station “Marienbildchen”.
The “Deutzer Eisenbahnjammer”
From 1885 the company extended the line south from Schiffbrücke station. It curved round to Kalk-Süd station, which opened on 1 June 1886. This required another embankment along the Deutz riverfront and a bridge over the Deutzer Freiheit. Because the embankment blocked the view of Cologne, Deutz residents spoke of the “Deutzer Eisenbahnjammer” (the Deutz railway misery). As late as 23 April 1899, an article in the Kölnische Zeitung lamented that the embankment had cut Deutz off from the Rhine.
The End of the Station
At the beginning of the 20th century, the line was abandoned. In 1913 the railway grounds, including the station, were sold. The station and station hotel had to make way for the construction of the Deutzer Brücke, and both were later demolished.
Timeline
- 1807Secularization; the former abbey property becomes known as "Marienbildchen"
- 1833Conversion into the luxury hotel "Bellevue"
- 1843–1847Cologne-Minden Railway builds the Minden–Deutz line
- 1858Queen Victoria and Prince Albert stay at the hotel
- 1882Schiffbrücke station opens (20 September); hotel becomes Bahnhotel Belle-Vue
- 1885Extension of the line southwards towards Kalk begins
- 1886Kalk-Süd station opens (1 June)
- 1913Railway grounds including the station are sold
Map
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-10-24
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