European Railroad Discussion > France: Chemins de Fer du Sud de la France (de Nice) Headquart

This summer I had a chance to spend a few moments studying the French Southern Railways former headquarters in Nice. This is an ex. narrow gauge lavish terminus although the tracks have given way to shopping mall being built next to it. Today's terminus is a humble building compred with what was built at the end of the 19th century. In the end of the 19th century it looks like happenings were also quite "interesting". In 1860 the areas West of today's Nice airport (including the whole current city) are added to France (this might have been as a gift from Austria, which France supported in war). This starts a period of hectic railroad building but the mountain areas remain without connections. People of Grasse area (Woldwidely known for perfumes) decide to take initiative and set up several projects for connections to main line in Nice. One of these startups is French Southern Railway, financing arranged by Baron Jacques de Reinach, a distinguished banker. As you can see this railway was built quite lavishly, although it was, and still remains, narrow gauge (for easier pass through the mountains). After Reinach was found dead in unclear circumstances in 1892 and his archives burned, it became evident that money had been used for other purposes besides railway building. Difficult operating conditions continued, until railway received a fresh start in 1925 as part of CP (Chemin de Fer de Provence) which it remains today. 

Next, let's look at some of the pictures of this interesting French building.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/15 02:55 by McKey.

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Some details pictures of the magnificent workmanship this building has been built with.

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And, just like this building at the time it was built, it still sees incredible wealth, and powerty contrasting it. Some things remain while others change.

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Great Post! Thanks!

Cheers,
Jack

Glad you liked this! There will be many more weekly from CP = Chemin de Fer de Provence = Provence Railways on French Riviera.

africansteam Wrote:
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> Great Post! Thanks!
>
> Cheers,
> Jack

Beautiful building and thanks for posting...question, did it receive any damage during WWII ?

Wonderful pictures, Thanks!
What is the building used for now? I was in Nice last week , and saw it from a distance but didn't get the chance to investigate.
The last time I rode the CP, in 1984, the old station was still in use, but very run down. It is good to see it restored, if not for its original purpose.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/15 00:19 by spflow.

That is an excellent question. Which I don't seem to find answer to. Maybe someone else on this forum could help on this?

Meanwhile, here is an interesting article on the WW2 Front on Riviera, shadowed by Normandy invasion: http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/riviera-d-day/

engine3420 Wrote:
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> Beautiful building and thanks for
> posting...question, did it receive any damage
> during WWII ?

You're welcome! Better visit this next time :) if not for other reason, maybe for the trains behind it! Or actually you'll have to walk around the huge building project behind here.

Looks like the building was rebuilt in 2012 to a library of some kind, which would make sense as the University area is right across the street. I've tried to open the doors many times to see what is inside, but they seem to be locked. Yet, people seem to pass these doors occasionally, so I suppose it is some sort of city office with no public service. 

spflow Wrote:
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> Wonderful pictures, Thanks!
> What is the building used for now? I was in Nice
> last week , and saw it from a distance but didn't
> get the chance to investigate.
> The last time I rode the CP, in 1984, the old
> station was still in use, but very run down. It is
> good to see it restored, if not for its original
> purpose.

Here are a few pictures from the rebuilding time in 2012. And a big surprise to me at least, despite seen numerous stations in Estonia...this was originally built for the Paris World Fair of 1889! It served there as a Russian (Zhar's) Pavillion...so since Russian period stations in Estonia look just like from France, obviously the French building of Russia looks like that too. I think French were adored in 18th and 19th century Russia, to amazing extent. 

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Plus some of the plans for the work. The train shed behind the station building has been quite narrow and run down as one of the pictures shows. It was being demolished in 2012, is gone altogether in 2015, and will reapper by 2017, as a glass passage from the trams stop to CP new and humble terminal.

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McKey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is an excellent question. Which I don't seem
> to find answer to. Maybe someone else on this
> forum could help on this?
>
> Meanwhile, here is an interesting article on the
> WW2 Front on Riviera, shadowed by Normandy
> invasion:
> http://www.americainwwii.com/articles/riviera-d-da
> y/
>
> engine3420 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Beautiful building and thanks for
> > posting...question, did it receive any damage
> > during WWII ?

Very little damage was incurred in Nice or the immmediate surroundings as the area was quite unsuitable for invasion. The article mentioned above is interesting for its Amercian slant - the invasion of South in August 1944 toook three divisions, while the Normandy invasion used 39 - only just over half from the US, and commanded by the British General Montgomery. In general damage and casualties in the south were trivial compared with the slaughter and devastation across North Eastern France following D-Day.

PS thanks for the extra photos - from the boards it is clear that the rebuilding is largely for residential apartments. As to the previous question there is no doubt that post-war building development along the entire southern French coast has done infinitely more damage than any warfare could possibly achieve!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/15 07:43 by spflow.

It is incredible how many people wish to live in the moderate climate, sun shine, mountains with azure colored sea nearby or visible! So it is quite crowded already and the mountain sides...with lots of new developments.

spflow Wrote:
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> As to the previous
> question there is no doubt that post-war building
> development along the entire southern French coast
> has done infinitely more damage than any warfare
> could possibly achieve!

Three more pictures of something from another era in Nice. Casino on the sea in the center of the city was one of the most fabulous buildings before WW2. Straight from the Arabian Nights / 1001 Nights book.

One of the almost daily clients (incredibly wealthy) is seen in the picture lowest with the car. Can you guess who is it?

Oh, the 1001 nights style palace was dismantled by Germans during WW2 for its metals were needed for their war efforts...what a loss!
 

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It appears that at least in the adds the new development looks subjectively quite nice (like it should in Nice :) . The city goverment has been quite active in last 10 years or so in modernization of public infrastructure and the results are startinmg to show.

Here are some add agency drafts of the new area near University and French Sotuhern Railways Headquarters.

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Quite human scale development isn't it? And this is preserving some of the old too.

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A few pictures of the actual development. The very humble current CP train station is shown in the last picture below.

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