Dworzec Kolejowy

In order to build a new connection, the German government concluded on December 6, 1904, with the Russian government, two international agreements defining the legal bases and terms of rail connection between the two states. The first of the treaties concerned the construction of a railway line from Skalmierzyce to Kalisz, where the section of the Kalisz-Warsaw railway line began. Work on the line on which the agreement was based ended eventually two years later. On October 28, 1906, the station was officially opened. On this day, two trains left for Warsaw, one to Lodz and three to Berlin, while nine trains arrived - six from Prussia, two from Warsaw and one from Łódź. It was undoubtedly a big event considering the size of the then customs chamber. A new impressive station was built to serve passenger traffic within 11 months, being, in a way, a symbol of Prussian power. As it was commonly referred to, it was supposed to be a "Prussian window to the world". It was designed by architect Blunck, a government councilor for construction. The station itself together with the technical infrastructure was made by the construction company Daum and Kuhnt from Ostrów. It had walls about 70 cm thick, built of red bricks together with girders with green iridescent brick inserts. The designer chose the neo-Gothic style, deliberately erecting an impressive building, which was to impress the border residents of the Russian Empire crossing this area. The interiors were once richly decorated and comfortably furnished. Station restaurants with a similar standard could only be found in Berlin or Vienna. In the blend of the coat-of-arms on the platform elevations, the Prussian coat of arms was painted, and from the front the arms of Skalmierzyce, Ostrów Wlkp, Ostrowska and Poznań provinces. The rich interior decoration was decorated with bas-reliefs of white Italian marble or crystal chandeliers. In addition to the aforementioned restaurant, there were two waiting rooms, one for 1st and 2nd class passengers and one for third and fourth class travelers, ticket offices, guest rooms and apartments. This building probably in 1913 hosted Emperor Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II, two monarchs who, through a contract of 1904, developed frontier traffic, stimulating greater economic development of the region. This date was recorded in the chronicle of the station, Ostrowski and Kalisz publications, and from the inhabitants' messages. In 1908, as a result of the development of the settlement, it was separated from Skalmierzyce and given the name Neu Skalmierschütz, but the station was still marked as "Skalmierzyce". Interestingly, the grand opening of the station took place only in October of the following year, although of course it served travelers for at least several years. The skalmierzycki station, still shortly after the Wielkopolska Uprising, continued to play an important role. In January and at the beginning of February 1919, he served as a temporary barracks and a weapon store for troops, becoming the main place for the organization of insurgent forces. An interesting note is the Allied letter sent on May 20, 1919 by Brigadier General Hammond (Head of Allied Railway Misson) to Major Ryan (American Food Mission) regarding the consent to establish at the railway station to regulate the flow of ... potatoes between Poznań and Warsaw.