Gare de l’Est Train Station

It was our last day in Paris and, after breakfast at the hotel, we all  walked, with our luggage in tow, to the nearby Gare de Paris Est Train Station, one of six large SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français or “National society of French railways” or “French National Railway Company”) termini in Paris. Here, we were to take  the train to Munich (Germany), the first leg of our trip to Salzburg (Austria).

One of the largest and the oldest railway stations in Paris, it is the western terminus of the Paris–Strasbourg railway and the Paris–Mulhouse railway. It provides train transportation to major cities in Central Europe such as Zurich, Switzerland; Munich, Germany and Vienna, Austria.

Hall Alsace which gives access to the yellow train platforms, lanes numbered 2 to 12

Opened in 1849 by the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de Paris à Strasbourg (the Paris-Strasbourg Railway Company) under the name “Strasbourg platform” (corresponds today with the hall for main-line trains), it was designed by architect François Duquesnay and was renamed the “Gare de l’Est” in 1854, after the expansion of service to Mulhouse.

The Paris East Train Station (Gare de Paris-Est) represents the Belle Epoque generation of railway buildings. The west wing is the original building built in 1847 and, in 1854, due to increased rail traffic, the east wing was built.

Central train platform

In 1885 and 1900, the Gare de l’Est station was renovated and, in 1931 it was doubled in size, with the new part of the station built symmetrically with the old part, thus significantly changing the surrounding neighborhood.

At the top of the west façade is a statue by the sculptor Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire, representing the city of Strasbourg, while the east end of the station is crowned by a statue personifying Verdun, by Varenne.  Strasbourg and Verdun are important destinations serviced by Gare de l’Est.

On October 4, 1883, the Gare de l’Est Station saw the first departure, for Istanbul, of the Orient Express . As a terminus of a strategic railway network extending towards the eastern part of France, the Gare de l’Est saw large mobilizations,  at the beginning of World War I, of French troops, most notably in 1914. In the main-line train hall, a monumental painting by Albert Herter, dating from 1926, illustrates the departure of these soldiers for the Western front.

Paris Est Train Station: Place du 11 Novembre 1918, Rue du 8 Mai 1945, 75010 Paris, France. Open daily, 5:30 AM – 1 AM.