Esslingen (Neckar) station

Esslingen station is the most important station in the town of Esslingen am Neckar in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and is located 13.2km from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof on the Fils Valley Railway.HistoryThe former imperial city of Esslingen was at the end of the first railway line in Württemberg, the Württemberg Central Railway, connecting Esslingen, Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg. Benefitting from the flat route along the Neckar, the work went forward quickly and Eßlingen station was opened to traffic on 20 November 1845. It had a two-storey entrance building and a locomotive depot. Later a residence for railway officials was added.Not all members of the district’s council saw the new transport mode as an advantage. It was the end of the line, but it was not long before construction of the Fils Valley line continued. They feared that Eßlingen station would become a minor maintenance station on the Eastern Railway between Stuttgart and Ulm. Due to the geographical location in the valley between the Filder plateau and Schurwald range, there was no question of it becoming a railway junction. Nevertheless, Eßlingen subsequently industrialised along with the rest of Germany. The numerous old factory buildings in the western part of Esslingen still bear witness to the industrialisation in the late 19th and early 20th century.