Interior of the Station Building in Pilsen

Year2024

CategoryInterior, Transport

LocationPilsen

StatusIn progress

Pilsen main railway station is undergoing a complete reconstruction aimed at restoring the architectural quality of the listed building while adapting it to today’s requirements for a modern transport hub.

The design focuses primarily on transforming the interior, making passenger movement clearer and bringing previously inactive parts of the building into new use. The project includes a new layout for the central ticket offices and information centre, an extended shopping arcade, a new restaurant with an outdoor terrace, and alterations that improve step-free access and wayfinding within the building.

The architectural solution follows the original character of the station, bringing a calm colour palette and a replica of the historic floor tiling back into the interior and sensitively combining historic elements with contemporary materials. The result is a station that is clearer, more functional and more open to the city and to passengers’ everyday lives.

Client	Správa železnic
Design team	Martin Krupauer Pavel Kvintus Martin Sedmák Daniel Jeništa Veronika Dolejšová
Collaboration	SUDOP PRAHA, a. s.

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New Facilities for Passengers

One of the main aims of the design is to simplify movement and wayfinding within the building. The central ticket offices and the information centre have therefore undergone a fundamental transformation and will now be concentrated in a single, clearly legible space.

Passengers will be able to buy tickets for all transport operators in one place. The central ticket offices will be linked by a minimalist black counter, and the whole interior will be complemented by new wayfinding systems for blind and hearing-impaired people. The toilets are step-free, and the modernisation also includes a new security system.

The most striking change will take place in the upper hall, which will take on the character of a shopping arcade. The station’s function will thus extend beyond transport itself, creating an environment where passengers can comfortably spend time between connections.

Retail space will grow by approximately 150 m², and the new atmosphere of the space will be underlined by significantly more daylight in the upper hall. The station is thus moving towards the contemporary model of a transport and shopping centre.

Connecting the Station with the City

The key idea of the design is a stronger connection between the station and its surroundings. A new restaurant with an outdoor terrace will bring life to the previously unused space behind the station, offering passengers the chance to stop for lunch or dinner with a view of the trains before their journey.

The relationship between interior and exterior will be strengthened by new fully glazed doors, which naturally connect the two spaces and open the station up more towards the city.

A Historic Landmark of Pilsen

The main railway station is one of the architectural landmarks of central Pilsen. Built in the Renaissance Revival and Art Nouveau styles, the building was ceremonially opened in 1907 and, unlike most station buildings in the Czech Republic, stands right in the middle of the track layout.

The station building has been a listed monument since 2000. The current reconstruction follows on from the earlier modernisation of the platforms and other parts of the station, and also includes the renovation of the roof, the façade and the building’s surroundings.