The present book is dedicated to Bahnhofstrasse as a place of self-staging and self-insurance by urban elites. This is done using the example of six German cities between the mid-19th century and the present: Weimar, Gotha, Chemnitz, Frankfurt am Main, Hanover and Wiesbaden are the subject of consideration. As the entrance to the city and the connection to the city center, Bahnhofsstrae can look back on a long tradition as a space for public staging of parades or festive events. But it also provided the appropriate architectural setting for political demonstrations of power. The author provides interesting insights into this central aspect of urban and political history. Due to its historical, sociological, cultural-political, cultural-historical and architectural references, the differentiated and clear representation is of fundamental importance for deciphering the relationship between space and ritual.