Schwarzatal, Bahnhof Rottenbach

The train hopefully still runs, but the train station building stands empty: a typical situation in rural areas. The town of Königsee on the edge of Schwarzatal, historically shaped by tourism, agriculture, and medium-sized businesses, was also affected. However, the train station in the district of Rottenbach is an important transportation hub, with many travelers arriving here.

Then the municipality acquired the train station building from Deutsche Bahn and saved it from decay. Together, the former mayor and the community considered: What to do with this former gem? Since many public facilities in Rottenbach, such as schools, restaurants, and shops, had to close since the 1990s, 40 willing individuals founded a cooperative in 2015 to set up a shop in the train station on their own. In addition, the connection of the train station to public transportation was to be improved. These visions fit with the project call ›Future CityLand!‹ of IBA Thüringen 2014, which aimed to support construction projects with a sense of common good with their expertise. Since 2015, IBA has been cooperating with the town and the cooperative on the project.

Before the efforts of the community and stakeholders could bear fruit, the train station and its forecourt had to be renovated. First, the Stadt Königsee, in collaboration with the IBA Thuringia and the LEADER action group Saalfeld-Rudolstadt e. V., commissioned an idea study for the new transportation hub and forecourt. The design STADTLAND:INSELN by atelier le balto was favored. The forecourt was then expanded in 2017 and once again serves as a transportation hub for buses, trains, cars, and bicycles. Regional traditions were incorporated into the design: Four landscape islands break up the asphalt, picket fences surround farm gardens that are maintained by the cooperative.

The historically appropriate renovation of the building began in 2016 by the Baubüro Lehninger from Gotha. In 2017, a student architecture competition held by the Bauhaus University Weimar and the University of Applied Sciences Leipzig provided initial ideas for the design of the planned Bahn-Hofladen, which were revised multiple times and eventually realized. K3L Architektur + Design, a young office from Leipzig that was founded by students after the competition, worked together with the architecture and engineering firm Lindig-Herbst-Lichtenheld from Rudolstadt on the implementation. Numerous installations and suspended ceilings were removed, and the small windows were replaced with floor-to-ceiling ones. Shelves, sales counters, and other interior design elements were specially designed and built for the store.

What also makes the store special is that it can be flexibly used for sales or as a meeting point for citizens. Numerous events take place here throughout the year, including markets in the summer on the square. But the project is not yet complete. The entire area of the Bahnhof Rottenbach will receive a small wooden multifunctional building designed by Atelier ST from Leipzig in collaboration with the regional Baumann Architecture firm. It will also function as a community center. The small wooden house is intended to be simple and familiar and to naturally integrate into the train station square and its surroundings.

The residents, cooperative members, and travelers enjoy their new meeting and starting point into the Schwarzatal. The train station is a jewel, the Bahn-Hofladen is modern, and the train station square with its landscape islands is typical of the region. This project creates added value for the entire summer resort. Bahnhof Rottenbach is part of the IBA project family in the Schwarzatal.