History
The first Bologna Centrale station was constructed in 1859; however, there are sketchy and unclear testimonies regarding its history. A new station was built twelve years later on the same grounds.
The station as we know it today was designed and built by architect Gaetano Ratti, who had trained in the local Clementine Academy. Inspired by the neoclassical style, its distinctive 15th century façade opens in nine entrance doors. The main passenger building is reminiscent of renaissance Florentine architecture. Until the 1940s it was topped by a clock tower with marble pillars, but the tower was damaged by bombing in World War II and was not rebuilt.
The original design called for a rectangular shaped two-faced building, with a marble external façade and steel internal one. Subsequent extension works, such as the 1926 building of the westbound platforms, shaped the station into the “L” form typical of expanded transit stations. Later, the introduction of new platforms on the eastern half (1934) brought another change to the station's configuration.
Read more about this topic: Bologna Centrale Railway Station
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