THE BEAUTY OF MUNICH'S UNDERGROUND STATION’S ARCHITECTURE

The RPS Benelux Chapter EVENT

Chris Renk

“In the course of the 1980s, the requirements for an attractive design of underground stations gradually increased. Bright, light-flooded rooms were to counteract the feeling of oppression underground”

© Chris Renk - Escalator, The Underground Station Sankt-Quirin-Platz, Munich

Chris gave an inspiring Zoom Presentation

earlier in 2021 which gave us the idea of planning and organising a weekend photography event. Date in mind will be May 2022. Please enjoy the following article and be inspired too!

UNDERGROUND ARCHITECTURE

Alongside the S-Bahn, the Munich U-Bahn is the most important means of public transport in the Bavarian capital of Munich. Since the opening of the first line on 19 October 1971, a network with 103.1 km of tracks and 96 stops has been created.

When the first underground stations were put out to tender in the mid-1960s, the interest of many architects in participating in their construction was relatively low. Underground architecture, characterised by simplicity and functionality, was considered uninteresting and unprofitable.

In the course of the 1980s, the requirements for an attractive design of underground stations gradually increased. Bright, light-flooded rooms were to counteract the feeling of oppression underground.

With these requirements in mind, renowned architects then set about creating true architectural gems. But, unfortunately, most of these gems were not accessible to the population. Every day, around 1.9 million people use the Munich underground, whether for work, shopping or cultural activities.

© Chris Renk - The Underground Station Sankt-Quirin-Platz, Munich

On the way there, they are so engrossed in their smartphones or a hurry that they fail to notice the beauty of the architecture around them, which is why RPS member Chris Renk set out to capture this beauty and make it visible to others. From a glowing rainbow to a labyrinth of walls, Chris takes you on a ramble through Munich's underground stations, where many visual highlights await you.

The Westfriedhof underground station impresses with its cool industrial chic. It is not for nothing that it is one of the most popular photo motifs in Munich's underground primarily because of its innovative lighting. The lighting concept was created by designer Ingo Maurer, who also designed the lighting at Münchner Freiheit station. Eleven oversized lamps shine in red, yellow and blue and bathe the station in a warm and unusual light. Together with the rough walls, this station radiates an ambience that could be found in a similar way in New York.

The Candidplatz underground station shines for several reasons: Firstly, it is located directly in a curve, and secondly, it is painted from front to back in pretty much every colour available to a painter. Welcome to the rainbow country!

No wonder, since the station, like the square above it, is named after the artist Peter Candid, who, among other things, helped design the Residenz. The colourful mix on the walls runs from north to south across the entire platform.

© Chris Renk - The Underground Station Westfriedhof, Munich

The ceiling is no slouch either: it was designed in the shape of a "hat" for a large main water channel and also provides a particular accent.

The extension of the U2 to Messestadt Ost has given Munich a whole series of really great underground stations. Probably the most eyecatching is the Josephsburg station in Berg am Laim, which opened in 1999. It has walls painted a rich red, a chequerboard pattern on the floor and colourful glass panels on the ceiling.

On the mezzanine floor of the OlympiaEinkaufszentrum underground station you will come across lots of sparkling stainless steel. The rear walls of the underground station are covered with small metal pyramids that reflect the light in several directions. The result is a visual experience of a special kind.

In a district that for many years was, and in some cases still is, a social hotspot, one might not expect a jewel of underground architecture.

However, the planners have succeeded in creating a light-flooded building made of highquality materials that is not at all reminiscent of the dreariness of a large housing estate. The most outstanding part of the station, however, is the lenticular reflector construction on the ceiling of the high platform hall.

© Chris Renk - The Underground Station Duelferstrasse, Munich Pages 138-139 | © Chris Renk - The Underground Station Candidplatz, Munich

Dülferstrasse, one of the most colourful underground stations in Munich. In the southeastern platform area, the platform hall has a considerable height. In the lower area of the rear track walls, there are rainbow coloured patterned glass panels here, in different widths. To be able to photograph the platform hall, I had to resort to a panorama shot. Even with a 14-24mm lens, I could not capture the composition in the picture.

The St.-Quirin-Platz underground station is architecturally unique and equally unusual for the Munich underground because it is open to the side with a large "eye" and an elaborate shell-shaped roof construction made of glass arches over it. The platform walls are made of bored piles left rough and untreated. Similar to the Wettersteinplatz, the platform ceilings are covered with reflective aluminium panels to enable the generous spatial effect in these parts of the platform as well.

The platform is spanned by an imposing ceiling construction made of white aluminium panels that absorb the light from the two light bands and reflect it back onto the platform. Like a bird's wing, it spans the entire length of the platform.

The walls are covered with blue mosaic tiles framed with longitudinal triangular stainlesssteel bands. The bright red line band of the U2 has been impressively incorporated into the station design here and serves as a colour counterpoint.

In this station, this composition does not immediately reveal itself to you, because you do not notice this shape as an ordinary passer-by. I, for example, only became aware of the winglike shape after half an hour of searching for the best angle to shoot from. Besides the actual underground station, there are of course plenty of other motifs to photograph. On the one hand, there are the light compositions in the various statues, which are also true works of art on their own. As an example, I show a shot of the Gern underground station, where nine light pyramids provide the illumination. The photo shows the fluorescent tubes of one of the light pyramids, taken directly below the lamp.

On the other hand, there are many staircases and other contractions that also lend themselves as motifs. As an example, I show the escalator at St.-Quirin-Platz, which with its diffuse light conditions looks like the connection from hell to the sky.

There is of course so much more to photograph, here you see a selected amount of work by Chris to whet your appetites.

PHOTOGRAPHY WEEKEND IN MAY 2022

We, the Benelux and the Germany Chapters are wanting to organise a photography weekend event in May 2022. Chris is willing to show us around and kindly offers his support. There are weekend deals for train travel to Germany, including accommodation. This is a perfect opportunity for us! Please let us know if you are interested and want to join in by emailing beneluxnl@rps.org.

More information to follow once we know preliminary numbers but we really hope everyone is keen to attend.

© Chris Renk - The Underground Station Wettersteinplatz, Munich Pages 142-143 | © Chris Renk - The Underground Station Am Hart, Munich