Cannons Railway
Encyclopedia
The Cannons Railway is the vernacular name of a former German military strategic railway
between Berlin
and Metz
via Güsten
, Wetzlar
, Koblenz
and Trier
. Metz
is in Alsace-Lorraine
, which was annexed by Germany after the Franco-Prussian War
.
Other railways, such as the Glan Valley Railway (Glantalbahn), built mainly for military strategic reasons, were also colloquially known as the Cannons Railway, but the link between Berlin and Metz is the best known of them.
Kanonenbahn is not an official name for the line. There are a number of other names for the line or sections of it:
Four different railway divisions
were responsible for the supervision of the construction of sections of the line and used different names for the line. For example, the official tender for construction of the line in Eichsfeld
described the line as the Berlin–Coblenz Railway. The initials "BCE" are found on benches and chairs in railway stations and various buildings on the line.
The military expressed interest in a continuous railway at an early date. For example, as early as 1855 the private sector lobbied the Prussia
n Minister of Commerce, Trade and Public Works for a railway through the Moselle valley from Koblenz to Trier. It was claimed that such a line would carry gypsum, slate and iron ore. The president of Rhine Province
wrote in response two weeks later on 31 August 1855 that the War Ministry has repeatedly stressed the military importance of a railway from Koblenz to Trier and supported the immediate building of such a line, which would form a natural extension a railway line from Berlin via Halle
, Kassel
, Gießen
, Wetzlar to Koblenz, running to the south western preriphery of the kingdom of Prussia. It would at the same time provide a direct connection between the central Rhine, the most remote part of Prussia, the old Prussian provinces and the centre of the state (Berlin). However, it would be more than 15 years before the project was completed.
No later than 1871, preliminary studies were carried out of the route of the line, selecting a route that for the most part had little or no civilian importance for traffic and which bypassed urban areas. Private plans for the railway’s construction were rejected with state funding available from the French reparations
. On 12 June 1872, the Verein für die Gründung einer directen Eisenbahn von Berlin nach Frankfurt am Main ("Association for the establishment of a direct railway from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main") applied to the Prussian Minister of Trade, Commerce and Public Works for a concession for a railway line. This request was rejected only 14 days later on the grounds that the government was planning a direct connection between the eastern and western railways networks and that the government intended to take into account the need for a line from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main. In 1872 surveyors and engineers had already staked out the planned line on the Lollar
–Wetzlar section.
On 18 December 1872 the Prussian government presented a plan for the construction of the Berlin–Wetzlar railway to the Prussian House of Representatives. An act “for the issuing of a bond in the amount of 120 million Thalers
to extend, complement and improve the equipment of the state railway network of 11 June 1873”, known as the Kanonenbahngesetz (“Cannons Railway Act”) authorised the construction of the railway using French reparations and authorising bonds to be raised for the line.
, the Thuringian railway’s
Gotha–Leinefelde branch line, the Main-Weser Railway
, the Lahn Valley Railway and the French Chemins de fer de l'Est
’s line to Metz.
The project included the upgrading of these existing routes for the Cannons Railway such as the duplication of the Lahn Valley Railway. The Cannons Railway was opened in 24 sections. These were:
For the management of the construction of the Cannons Railway, four Royal Railway Divisions
(Königliche Eisenbahndirektionen, KED) and General Division of the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine
were in charge:
In 1945 the line was divided by the Inner German border between Geismar
and Schwebda
. This meant that the Cannons Railway was no longer a continuous line and it decreased the importance of the Hessian
sections. In 1974 passenger services on the Malsfeld
–Waldkappel
section were abandoned, which was followed by the closure and dismantling of that section and in other sections in Hesse. After 1990, sections that had been in East German were also closed.
Strategic railway
A strategic railway is a railway proposed or constructed primarily for military strategic purposes, as opposed to the usual purpose of a railway, which is the transport of civilian passengers or freight. Although the archetypal strategic railway would be one constructed solely as part of a...
between Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
via Güsten
Güsten
Güsten is a town in the district of Salzlandkreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Wipper, west of Bernburg. It is part of the Verbandsgemeinde Saale-Wipper....
, Wetzlar
Wetzlar
Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. Located at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Framework Road which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of...
, Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
and Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
. Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
is in Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
, which was annexed by Germany after the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.
Other railways, such as the Glan Valley Railway (Glantalbahn), built mainly for military strategic reasons, were also colloquially known as the Cannons Railway, but the link between Berlin and Metz is the best known of them.
Derivation of name
Kanonenbahn is not an official name for the line. There are a number of other names for the line or sections of it:
- Berlin–Metz Railway (Berlin-Metzer Bahn)
- Wetzlar Railway (Wetzlarer Bahn) or Berlin–Wetzlar Railway (Berlin-Wetzlarer Bahn)
- Berlin–Coblenz Railway (Berlin-Coblenzer Eisenbahn, BCE)
- Berlin–Blankenheim Railway (Berlin-Blankenheimer Bahn)
- Moselle line (Moselstrecke)
Four different railway divisions
Railway divisions in Germany
In Germany and Austria, the running of railway services for a railway administration or the regional network of a large railway company was devolved to railway divisions, variously known as Eisenbahndirektionen , Bundesbahndirektionen or Reichsbahndirektionen ...
were responsible for the supervision of the construction of sections of the line and used different names for the line. For example, the official tender for construction of the line in Eichsfeld
Eichsfeld
The Eichsfeld is a historical region in the southeast of Lower Saxony and northwest of Thuringia in the south of the Harz mountains...
described the line as the Berlin–Coblenz Railway. The initials "BCE" are found on benches and chairs in railway stations and various buildings on the line.
Background
Strategic railways are lines built on military grounds without regard to the economics or the potential civilian traffic on the line in peace times. Certain design parameters such as minimum curve radius, maximum gradient and maximum load had to be met. It was planned as a double-track line with the aim to bypassing urban areas where possible.The military expressed interest in a continuous railway at an early date. For example, as early as 1855 the private sector lobbied the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n Minister of Commerce, Trade and Public Works for a railway through the Moselle valley from Koblenz to Trier. It was claimed that such a line would carry gypsum, slate and iron ore. The president of Rhine Province
Rhine Province
The Rhine Province , also known as Rhenish Prussia or synonymous to the Rhineland , was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822-1946. It was created from the provinces of the Lower Rhine and Jülich-Cleves-Berg...
wrote in response two weeks later on 31 August 1855 that the War Ministry has repeatedly stressed the military importance of a railway from Koblenz to Trier and supported the immediate building of such a line, which would form a natural extension a railway line from Berlin via Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
, Wetzlar to Koblenz, running to the south western preriphery of the kingdom of Prussia. It would at the same time provide a direct connection between the central Rhine, the most remote part of Prussia, the old Prussian provinces and the centre of the state (Berlin). However, it would be more than 15 years before the project was completed.
No later than 1871, preliminary studies were carried out of the route of the line, selecting a route that for the most part had little or no civilian importance for traffic and which bypassed urban areas. Private plans for the railway’s construction were rejected with state funding available from the French reparations
War reparations
War reparations are payments intended to cover damage or injury during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, rather than such property transfers as the annexation of land.- History :...
. On 12 June 1872, the Verein für die Gründung einer directen Eisenbahn von Berlin nach Frankfurt am Main ("Association for the establishment of a direct railway from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main") applied to the Prussian Minister of Trade, Commerce and Public Works for a concession for a railway line. This request was rejected only 14 days later on the grounds that the government was planning a direct connection between the eastern and western railways networks and that the government intended to take into account the need for a line from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main. In 1872 surveyors and engineers had already staked out the planned line on the Lollar
Lollar
Lollar is a town in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Lahn, 7 km north of Gießen. The biggest production site of is located in Lollar....
–Wetzlar section.
On 18 December 1872 the Prussian government presented a plan for the construction of the Berlin–Wetzlar railway to the Prussian House of Representatives. An act “for the issuing of a bond in the amount of 120 million Thalers
Vereinsthaler
The Vereinsthaler was a standard silver coin used in most German states and the Austrian Empire in the years prior to German unification.- Introduction :...
to extend, complement and improve the equipment of the state railway network of 11 June 1873”, known as the Kanonenbahngesetz (“Cannons Railway Act”) authorised the construction of the railway using French reparations and authorising bonds to be raised for the line.
Sections
The entire route has a length of about 805 km, of which around 511 km was built under the Cannons Railway Act. These were mainly the Berlin–Blankenheim line (Wetzlar Railway or Wetzlar line), the Leinefelde–Treysa line and the Koblenz–Trier–Thionville line. There were also two new short sections, the Lollar–Wetzlar line and a new connection from Hohenrhein to Koblenz over the Rhine. The remaining sections of the railway used existing lines, which included the Halle–Kassel lineHalle–Kassel railway
The Halle-Kassel Railway is a 218 km long main line operated by the Deutsche Bahn in Germany, which links Halle in Saxony-Anhalt with Kassel in the state of Hesse. It is mainly used by regional and east-west goods trains...
, the Thuringian railway’s
Thuringian Railway Company
The Thuringian Railway Company was a company that existed from 1844 to 1886 for the construction of railways in the Thuringian states.-History :...
Gotha–Leinefelde branch line, the Main-Weser Railway
Main-Weser Railway
The Main-Weser Railway is the railway line in central Germany that runs from Frankfurt am Main via Gießen to Kassel and named after the railway company that built the line and also operated it until 1880. It was opened between 1849 and 1852 and was one of the first railways in Germany.- Route...
, the Lahn Valley Railway and the French Chemins de fer de l'Est
Chemins de fer de l'Est
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est , often referred to simply as the Est company, was an early French railway company. The company was formed in 1853 by fusion from Compagnie de Paris à Strasbourg, operating the Paris-Strasbourg line, and Compagnie du chemin de fer de Montereau à Troyes...
’s line to Metz.
The project included the upgrading of these existing routes for the Cannons Railway such as the duplication of the Lahn Valley Railway. The Cannons Railway was opened in 24 sections. These were:
| Section | Length km |
Opening | Line | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Charlottenburg–Grunewald | 3.12 | 1 June 1882 | Berlin-Blankenheim line |
| 2. | Grunewald–Sandersleben Sandersleben Sandersleben is a town and a former municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Wipper, approx. 17 km north of Eisleben... |
160.29 | 15 April 1879 | Berlin-Blankenheim line |
| 3. | Sandersleben–Hettstedt Hettstedt Hettstedt is a town in Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the Wipper.As of 1911, Hettstedt engaged in the manufacture of machinery, pianofortes, and artificial manure, and the surrounding district and villages were occupied with smelting due to the nearby mines of argentiferous... |
6.43 | 10 January 1877 | Berlin-Blankenheim line |
| 4. | Hettstedt–Blankenheim Blankenheim, Saxony-Anhalt Blankenheim is a municipality in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.... |
18.56 | 15 April 1879 | Berlin-Blankenheim line |
| 5. | Blankenheim–Nordhausen Nordhausen Nordhausen is a town at the southern edge of the Harz Mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Nordhausen... |
50.50 | 10 July 1866 | Halle–Kassel line Halle–Kassel railway The Halle-Kassel Railway is a 218 km long main line operated by the Deutsche Bahn in Germany, which links Halle in Saxony-Anhalt with Kassel in the state of Hesse. It is mainly used by regional and east-west goods trains... |
| 6. | Nordhausen–Leinefelde | 42.26 | 9 July 1867 | Halle–Kassel line |
| 7. | Leinefelde–Silberhausen Silberhausen Silberhausen is a Thuringian municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Germany.-References:... -Trennung station |
8.22 | 3 October 1870 | Gotha-Leinefelde line |
| 8. | Silberhausen-Trennung–Eschwege Eschwege Eschwege , the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg northwest of the Schlierbachswald and east of the Hoher Meißner... |
37.69 | 15 May 1880 | Leinefelde–Treysa line |
| 9. | Eschwege–Niederhone Eschwege Eschwege , the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg northwest of the Schlierbachswald and east of the Hoher Meißner... |
3.29 | 31 October 1875 | Leinefelde–Treysa line |
| 10. | Niederhone–Malsfeld Malsfeld Malsfeld is a community in the Schwalm-Eder district in Hesse, Germany, on the river Fulda.The community consists of the centres of Beiseförth, Dagobertshausen, Elfershausen, Mosheim, Malsfeld, Ostheim and Sipperhausen.... |
40.41 | 15 May 1879 | Leinefelde–Treysa line |
| 11. | Malsfeld–Treysa (old station) | 40.39 | 1 August 1879 | Leinefelde–Treysa line |
| 12. | Treysa (old station)–Kirchhain Kirchhain Kirchhain is a town in Marburg-Biedenkopf district in Hesse, Germany.-Geography:Kirchhain is located in the heart of the state of Hesse in Marburg-Biedenkopf County... |
26.93 | 4 March 1850 | Main-Weser Railway Main-Weser Railway The Main-Weser Railway is the railway line in central Germany that runs from Frankfurt am Main via Gießen to Kassel and named after the railway company that built the line and also operated it until 1880. It was opened between 1849 and 1852 and was one of the first railways in Germany.- Route... |
| 13. | Kirchhain–Marburg Marburg station Marburg railway station is the main train station of Marburg, Hesse on the Main-Weser Railway.The station is located in the northern part of the city and is frequented by 19,000 passengers daily.- External links :*... |
15.09 | 3 April 1850 | Main-Weser Railway |
| 14. | Marburg–Lollar Lollar Lollar is a town in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Lahn, 7 km north of Gießen. The biggest production site of is located in Lollar.... |
21.63 | 25 July 1850 | Main-Weser Railway |
| 15. | Lollar–Wetzlar Wetzlar station Wetzlar station is a through station in the city of Wetzlar in the German state of Hesse on the Dill and Lahn Valley Railways. It is the most important public transport node in Wetzlar together with the adjacent bus station.-History:... |
18.04 | 15 October 1878 | Lollar–Wetzlar line |
| 16. | Wetzlar–Weilburg Weilburg Weilburg is, with just under 14,000 inhabitants, the third biggest town in Limburg-Weilburg district in Hesse, Germany, after Limburg an der Lahn and Bad Camberg.- Location :... |
23.03 | 10 January 1863 | Lahn Valley Railway |
| 17. | Weilburg–Limburg Limburg (Lahn) station Limburg station is a station of the city of Limburg an der Lahn in the German state of Hesse. It is on the Lahn Valley Railway , running between Koblenz and Gießen. The only section of this that is electrified in the Limburg area is between Limburg freight yard and Eschhofen station... |
2914 | 14 October 1862 | Lahn Valley Railway |
| 18. | Limburg–Nassau | 26.39 | 5 July 1862 | Lahn Valley Railway |
| 19. | Nassau–Bad Ems Bad Ems Bad Ems is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the county seat of the Rhein-Lahn rural district and is well known as a bathing resort on the river Lahn... |
7.91 | 9 July 1860 | Lahn Valley Railway |
| 20. | Bad Ems–Hohenrhein | 10.34 | 1 July 1858 | Lahn Valley Railway |
| 21. | Hohenrhein–Koblenz Koblenz Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the focal point of rail transport in the Rhine-Moselle-Lahn area. It is a through station in southern Koblenz built below Fort Großfürst Konstantin and opened in 1902 in the Neustadt , which was built... |
7.09 | 15 May 1879 | Lahn Valley Railway |
| 22. | Koblenz–Ehrang Trier Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC.... |
105.25 | 15 May 1879 | Moselle line |
| 23. | Ehrang–Diedenhofen Thionville Thionville , is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.-Demographics:... (new) |
76 | 15 May 1878 | Thionville–Trier line |
| 24. | Diedenhofen (old)–Metz Metz Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place... (old) |
27 | 16 September 1854 | Chemins de fer de l'Est Chemins de fer de l'Est The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est , often referred to simply as the Est company, was an early French railway company. The company was formed in 1853 by fusion from Compagnie de Paris à Strasbourg, operating the Paris-Strasbourg line, and Compagnie du chemin de fer de Montereau à Troyes... |
| Total length | 805.00 | from 4 March 1850 | ||
For the management of the construction of the Cannons Railway, four Royal Railway Divisions
Railway divisions in Germany
In Germany and Austria, the running of railway services for a railway administration or the regional network of a large railway company was devolved to railway divisions, variously known as Eisenbahndirektionen , Bundesbahndirektionen or Reichsbahndirektionen ...
(Königliche Eisenbahndirektionen, KED) and General Division of the Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine
Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lorraine were the first railways owned by the German Empire.They emerged in 1871, after France had ceded the region of Alsace-Lorraine to the German Empire under the terms of the peace treaty following the Franco-Prussian War...
were in charge:
- Berlin–Nordhausen: KED Berlin
- Nordhausen–Eschwege–Treysa–Lollar: KED Cassel, from 1 April 1876: KED Frankfurt (M)
- Lollar–Wetzlar, OberlahnsteinOberlahnsteinOberlahnstein is a part of the city of Lahnstein in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. It lies on the right bank of the Rhine, at the confluence of the Lahn 4 m. above Koblenz, on the Right Rhine railway from Cologne to Frankfurt-on-Main...
–Coblenz–Güls, Hohenrhein–NiederlahnsteinNiederlahnsteinNiederlahnstein is a part of the city of Lahnstein in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany.-Description and history:Niederlahnstein is situated on the right bank of the Rhine. In 1905, it had a population of 4,351 people. By 1939, this had grown to 6,812. It has two Roman Catholic churches. In 1911, the...
: KED Wiesbaden - Güls–Ehrang–border near SierckSierck-les-BainsSierck-les-Bains is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Moselle department...
: KED Saarbrücken
Further development
In 1880–1882, the railway was completed throughout. During the planning and construction, however, the Prussian main railway network was nationalised. A major reason for the construction of the railway, the independence of the various private railway companies, was thus already eliminated at, or shortly after, its completion. Similarly, the building of the line far from urban areas for strategic reasons proved to be an obstacle to the development of traffic. For through traffic, the whole line was never important. In places, the line did not need the originally planned double track. In the following years, individual sections of the route developed very differently. Some sections, such as Berlin–Wiesenburg or Koblenz–Trier attracted through traffic. Others had only local importance.In 1945 the line was divided by the Inner German border between Geismar
Geismar
Geismar is a Thuringian municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Germany....
and Schwebda
Meinhard
Meinhard is a community in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in Hesse, Germany.-Location:The community lies in the North Hesse Low Mountain Range landscape on the edge of the Werra valley, 3 km from the district seat of Eschwege....
. This meant that the Cannons Railway was no longer a continuous line and it decreased the importance of the Hessian
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
sections. In 1974 passenger services on the Malsfeld
Malsfeld
Malsfeld is a community in the Schwalm-Eder district in Hesse, Germany, on the river Fulda.The community consists of the centres of Beiseförth, Dagobertshausen, Elfershausen, Mosheim, Malsfeld, Ostheim and Sipperhausen....
–Waldkappel
Waldkappel
Waldkappel is a small town in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis in northern Hesse, Germany.-Location:Waldkappel lies between Hessisch Lichtenau in the west and Eschwege in the east, where the town is found in the North Hesse Upland between the Meißner-Kaufunger Wald Nature Park neighbouring it to the north...
section were abandoned, which was followed by the closure and dismantling of that section and in other sections in Hesse. After 1990, sections that had been in East German were also closed.