Kaufhaus des Westens
Encyclopedia
The Kaufhaus des Westens (English "Department Store of the West", usually abbreviated to KaDeWe) is a department store
in Berlin. With over 60,000 square metres of selling space and more than 380,000 articles available, it is the second largest department store in Europe
; trumped only by Harrods
in London. It attracts 40,000 to 50,000 visitors every day.
The store is located on Tauentzienstraße
, a major shopping street, between Wittenbergplatz
and Breitscheidplatz
, near the center of the former West Berlin
. It is technically in the extreme northwest of the neighbourhood of Schöneberg
.
The store was originally founded in 1905 by Adolf Jandorf, who persuaded the famous architect Emil Schaudt to build his store. It opened on March 27, 1907 with an area of 24,000 sq-m.
In 1927, ownership changed to the Hertie company owned by Hermann Tietz
. The Hertie Company was responsible for modernizing and expanding the store. They had the ambition to add two new floors but because of the Nazi rise to power in the 1930s their plans came to a sudden halt. The Hertie Company was mainly Jewish owned and because of the Nazis' race laws they were prevented from maintaining their ownership. During World War II Allied bombing ruined most of the store. One bomber was shot down and crashed into the store in 1943. Most of the store was gutted, which caused its closure. The re-opening of the first two floors was celebrated in 1950. Full reconstruction of all seven floors was finished by 1956. Once completed it became a beacon of hope for Berliners. "KaDeWe" soon became a symbol of the regained economic power of West Germany during the Wirtschaftswunder
economic boom, as well as emblematic of the material prosperity of West Berlin
versus that of the East
.
Between 1976-1978 the store's floor space was expanded from 24,000 sq-m to 44,000 sq-m. Just after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, KaDeWe recorded a record-breaking number of people going through the store. By 1996, with a further floor and restaurant added to the store, the sales area had expanded to 60,000 sq-m.
In 1994, the KarstadtQuelle AG corporation acquired Hertie and with it KaDeWe. Most of the floors were renovated between 2004 and 2007 in preparation for the store's one hundredth anniversary.
The 1st floor is all Beauty Accessories. Some of the services offered include beauty salons as well as nail and foot spas. "Luxury Boulevard" is also situated here, with Louis Vuitton
, Dior
, Gucci
, Chanel
, Bulgari
, Cartier
and Montblanc
stores.
The 2nd floor is Men's Apparel. Most of the clothing on this floor is designer made.
The 3rd floor is devoted to Women's Fashion.
The 4th floor contains more variety. Part of the floor is children's wear. Another portion of the floor is devoted to lingerie, and yet another to health products.
The 5th floor contains interior and design items, as well as the in-house Wedding and Gift Registry services.
The 6th floor is arts, entertainment, electronics, toys, office supplies, and souvenirs.
The 7th and 8th floors (added in the early 1990s) are entirely devoted to food, and advertisements tout the place as having two football field
s of food. The 7th floor is called delicatessen
and is famous for its wide variety of food and beverages.
The top floor includes a Winter Garden
with a restaurant surrounded by an all windowed wall offering a view over the Wittenbergplatz
.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
in Berlin. With over 60,000 square metres of selling space and more than 380,000 articles available, it is the second largest department store in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
; trumped only by Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
in London. It attracts 40,000 to 50,000 visitors every day.
The store is located on Tauentzienstraße
Tauentzienstraße
Tauentzienstraße is a major shopping street in the western part of Berlin, Germany. It is approximately 500 metres long and lies between two important squares, Wittenbergplatz and Breitscheidplatz...
, a major shopping street, between Wittenbergplatz
Wittenbergplatz
Wittenbergplatz is a square in the western part of Berlin, Germany, within the district of Schöneberg near the border with Charlottenburg.It was laid out between 1889 and 1892 and named after the storming of the town of Wittenberg on 14 February 1814 by Prussian troops under General Bogislav...
and Breitscheidplatz
Breitscheidplatz
Breitscheidplatz is a major public square in the inner city of Berlin, Germany. Together with the Kurfürstendamm boulevard it marks the centre of former West Berlin.-Geography:...
, near the center of the former West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. It is technically in the extreme northwest of the neighbourhood of Schöneberg
Schöneberg
Schöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
.
History
The store was originally founded in 1905 by Adolf Jandorf, who persuaded the famous architect Emil Schaudt to build his store. It opened on March 27, 1907 with an area of 24,000 sq-m.
In 1927, ownership changed to the Hertie company owned by Hermann Tietz
Hermann Tietz
Hermann Tietz was a German merchant of Jewish origin. Tietz was born on April 29, 1837 in Birnbaum an der Warthe near Posen and died on May 3, 1907 in Berlin)...
. The Hertie Company was responsible for modernizing and expanding the store. They had the ambition to add two new floors but because of the Nazi rise to power in the 1930s their plans came to a sudden halt. The Hertie Company was mainly Jewish owned and because of the Nazis' race laws they were prevented from maintaining their ownership. During World War II Allied bombing ruined most of the store. One bomber was shot down and crashed into the store in 1943. Most of the store was gutted, which caused its closure. The re-opening of the first two floors was celebrated in 1950. Full reconstruction of all seven floors was finished by 1956. Once completed it became a beacon of hope for Berliners. "KaDeWe" soon became a symbol of the regained economic power of West Germany during the Wirtschaftswunder
Wirtschaftswunder
The term describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II . The expression was used by The Times in 1950...
economic boom, as well as emblematic of the material prosperity of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
versus that of the East
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
.
Between 1976-1978 the store's floor space was expanded from 24,000 sq-m to 44,000 sq-m. Just after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, KaDeWe recorded a record-breaking number of people going through the store. By 1996, with a further floor and restaurant added to the store, the sales area had expanded to 60,000 sq-m.
In 1994, the KarstadtQuelle AG corporation acquired Hertie and with it KaDeWe. Most of the floors were renovated between 2004 and 2007 in preparation for the store's one hundredth anniversary.
Features
KaDeWe has seven floors, each one focussed on a different type of merchandise.The 1st floor is all Beauty Accessories. Some of the services offered include beauty salons as well as nail and foot spas. "Luxury Boulevard" is also situated here, with Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
, Dior
Dior
Dior can mean:* Christian Dior SA, a French clothing retailer* In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth legendarium:**Dior Eluchíl, a Half-elven of the First Age**Dior , a Steward of GondorDior is a surname, and may refer to:...
, Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
, Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
, Bulgari
Bulgari
Bulgari is an Italian jeweler and luxury goods retailer which has been owned by the French firm LVMH since October 2011. The trademark is usually written "BVLGARI" in the classical Latin alphabet , and is derived from the surname of the company's Greek founder, Sotirio Voulgaris...
, Cartier
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
and Montblanc
Montblanc (pens)
Montblanc International GmbH is a German manufacturer of writing instruments, watches and accessories, often identified by their "White Star" logo.-History:...
stores.
The 2nd floor is Men's Apparel. Most of the clothing on this floor is designer made.
The 3rd floor is devoted to Women's Fashion.
The 4th floor contains more variety. Part of the floor is children's wear. Another portion of the floor is devoted to lingerie, and yet another to health products.
The 5th floor contains interior and design items, as well as the in-house Wedding and Gift Registry services.
The 6th floor is arts, entertainment, electronics, toys, office supplies, and souvenirs.
The 7th and 8th floors (added in the early 1990s) are entirely devoted to food, and advertisements tout the place as having two football field
Association football pitch
An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...
s of food. The 7th floor is called delicatessen
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
and is famous for its wide variety of food and beverages.
The top floor includes a Winter Garden
Winter Garden
Winter Garden may refer to:* A winter garden, winter-hardy plants grown for winter interest and decoration, or to be harvested for food between winter and early spring.-Places:* Winter Garden, California, former community in Kern County...
with a restaurant surrounded by an all windowed wall offering a view over the Wittenbergplatz
Wittenbergplatz
Wittenbergplatz is a square in the western part of Berlin, Germany, within the district of Schöneberg near the border with Charlottenburg.It was laid out between 1889 and 1892 and named after the storming of the town of Wittenberg on 14 February 1814 by Prussian troops under General Bogislav...
.
External links
- KaDeWe - Kaufhaus des Westens in Berlin, (English) and Official Video, (English) or Our store
- Europe's Biggest Department Store featuring history of KaDeWe, berlin-life.com
- „Seventh Heaven“, Christophorus, No. 326, The PorschePorschePorsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
Magazine, June/July 2007, p. 66 - 74. - „Not heaven, but not hell either“, signandsight.com, December 22, 2005 by Roger BoyesRoger BoyesRoger Boyes is a British journalist and author. He is the Berlin correspondent for British newspaper The Times, covering Germany and northern Europe...
- Fare Of The Country; In One Berlin Store, Food Without End, New York Times, March 10, 1991