page_title: Kaiserbahnhof Halbe
section_title: Architect
hierarchical_section_title: Kaiserbahnhof Halbe / Architect
caption_attribution_description: English: portrait and signature of August Orth Deutsch: Portrait und Unterschrift August Orths
context_page_description: Kaiserbahnhof Halbe is a railway station located in Halbe, on the main line between Berlin, which begins at the Görlitzer railway station, to Cottbus in Brandenburg and on to Görlitz in Saxony. It was built during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm I and used by his son Emperor Frederick III and his grandson Kaiser Wilhelm II between 1865 and 1912, when it as converted to offices and accommodation for railway workers. Having falling into disrepair in the 1990s it has now being restored to its 1865 state. Major works were completed in 2010, being the construction of a new roof and the restoration of two decorative towers at the north western and eastern corners of the building. In 2011, the first floor windows were repaired and all external brickwork repointed. In 2012, the ground floor windows and doors were restored with a start being made on the restoration of the large garden, to the south of the building. Since 2012 the restoration has been completed, with the 1865 building having been fully restored. A new building to the north has been built which is to house the kitchen, lavatories and ancillary facilities for the cafe's operation.
context_section_description: The Royal reception building was designed by the renowned Berlin architect, August Orth. The building, probably a gift of the railway company to Kaiser Wilhelm I, served as the starting point for his hunts in the extensive forests surrounding Halbe. The emperor used the Royal reception building, which was administered by a house yard master, on only six occasions. It was from there that he travelled by coach to the hunting lodge: Forsthaus Hammer.
  August Orth was one of the most important architects in Berlin in the second half of the 19th Century. Beside numerous churches (e.g. the 1865 Zion Church in Berlin) he was particularly famous as the architect and planner for the rapidly developing railway network. He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Berlin's metropolitan railway. From the 1860s he was the preferred architect of the railway tycoon Henry Strousberg Bethel, for which he sketched a splendid palace in 1867/68 which became known as the Palais Strousberg at 70 Wilhelmstrasse and was the British Embassy from 1877 to 1939 and in Berlin's Wedding district the large cattle and slaughterhouse from 1868. The buildings for the Berlin Gorlitz railway, which also developed from his Strousberg connection, are an outstanding example of Orth's work. The most important building was the Gorlitz railway station (1866–68) in Berlin. This station became famous but was destroyed in World War Two. The site today comprises a small cafe in the remaining building which is open in the summer and a large park. The Royal reception building in Halbe is an important example of architect August Orth's work.
caption: Portrait of August Orth
exif: {}