AW Hallen Railway Repair Works in Saarbrücken-Burbach

The rail repair works AW Hallen was built in 1906 and once served as principal maintenance and repair shop for the Royal Prussian Railway. The facilities were shut down in 1997, the railroad connection five years later. Today, the former factory premises house an industrial and manufacturing centre and are also used, in part, as a habitation site. The fin-de-siècle ensemble of seven storage depots and administrative buildings as well as the spectacular centrepiece of the works, a four hectare carriage maintenance depot which is one-of-a-kind in southwestern Germany, are listed as historic landmarks. On this terrain, prefabricated pavilions in varying sizes and with a range of furnishings were set up for small and mid-sized businesses. Construction followed the flexible, energy efficient house-in-house concept. As the railroad connection was only recently shut down, most of the buildings are still in relatively good condition. Renovation works began in the year 2000. The former gatehouse, the canteen, the administration, and the multi-storeyed repository are examples of exceptional turn-of-the-century architectural achievements. Following the necessary modernisation measures (completion of the interior), the complex unites old and new in a most attractive fashion and offers a representative, prestigious location for company headquarters of businesses with diverse demands. During the heyday of rail service, the factory premises (place of employment) and the appertaining railway settlement (place of residence), reminiscent of a garden city, were directly functionally linked to one another. At the time, the concept of combined working and living space in Burbach enjoyed great popularity which, to the present day, reverberates onto the AW Hallen and the railway settlement. These positive associations with the Burbach location are to be taken up and revitalised, the goal being, once again, the efficient combination of working and living in the same place. Thus, the premises are intended for various kinds of use in the sectors of industry, living, and leisure.