Dworzec kolejowy jako element przestrzeni wymiany w dużych miastach europejskich
Railway station as an element of the exchange space in the large european cities

Summary/Abstract: The exchange functions characterize the cities for thousands of years. Through the centuries, most of the trade has taken place within the market and its surroundings, where sellers met with buyers. As J. Słodczyk (2012) correctly pointed out, together with technology progress one can observed the structural change of the city. For more than 170 years (since the rapid development and the growing importance of rail transport) the railway stations still become competition for traditional city markets. The article aims to identify which functions of exchange and to what extent were taken by the railway stations from the city markets. The analysis was conducted on the basis of empirical case studies done for four European stations: Gare Saint-Charles (France), Leipzig Hauptbahnhof (Germany), Warsaw Central (Poland) and the Hauptbahnhof Wien (Austria). The empirical data comprise stages of development of the exchange functions and their characteristics identified retrospectively. Research results allow us to conclude that the railway station in large cities integrates urban space, and is not just used for the purpose to exchange travelers

• Details
• Contents