Kaufhaus des Westens

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Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe), 2008

Main entrance along Tauentzienstraße

Former neon sign

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.

[edit] History

The store was originally founded in 1905 by Adolf Jandorf, who persuaded the famous architect Emil Schaudt to build his store. It opened in March 27, 1907 with an area of 24,000 sq-m.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.

[edit] Features

KaDeWe - the sixth floor food hall

Winter garden - restaurant at top floor

KaDeWe has seven floors, each one focussed on a different type of merchandise. The first floor is all Beauty Accessories. A few of the services offered are beauty salons and nail and foot spas. Also the "Luxury Boulevard" is situated at this floor, with own shops of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Chanel, Bulgari, Cartier and Montblanc.

The 2nd floor is Men's Apparel. Most of the clothing on this floor is designer made. The next floor up is devoted to Women's Fashion.

The 4th floor contains more variety. Part of the floor is children's wear. Another chunk of the floor is devoted to lingerie, and another to health products.

The sixth and seventh floors (added in the early 1990s) are entirely devoted to food, and advertisements tout the place as having two football fields of food. The sixth 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.

Its sheer size, large selection and fame for excellent quality and its central location in the heart of Berlin near the Gedächtniskirche ("Kaiser Wilhelm" Memorial Church) and the Kurfürstendamm makes it a must for every tourist visiting Berlin.

[edit] Bibliography

Antonia Meiners: 100 Jahre KaDeWe. Nicolaische Verlagsbuchhandlung, Berlin 2007, 168 p., 80 colour photos, 80 b&w photos, clothbound, ISBN 978-3-89479-386-9, summary in german
Nils Busch-Petersen: Adolf Jandorf – Vom Volkswarenhaus zum KaDeWe, Hentrich & Hentrich, Berlin 2007, 80 p., ISBN 978-3-938485-10-1