Kaufhaus des Westens

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

KaDeWe's main entrance along Tauentzienstraße

The Kaufhaus des Westens (English "Department Store of the West", commonly abbreviated 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 largest department store in all of continental Europe. 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 neighborhood 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 27th, 1907 with an area of 24,000 sqm.

KaDeWe's first neon sign

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 Nazi's race laws they were prevented from maintaining their ownership. During World War II the allied bombing runs ruined most of the store. One of the bombers was shot down and crashed into KaDaWe in 1943. Most of the store was gutted which caused the store to close. The re-opening of the first two floors was celebrated in 1950. They completed the construction of all seven floors by 1956. Once completed it became a beacon of hope for Berliners. "KaDeWe" soon became a symbol of the regained economic power of Germany during the Wirtschaftswunder economic boom, as well as emblematic of the material prosperity of West Berlin versus that of the East Berlin.

Between 1976-1978 the store's floor space was expanded from 24,000 sqm to 44,000 sqm. Just after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, KaDaWe recorded a record breaking number of people going through the store. By 1996, with another floor with a restaurant added to the store, its sales area had expanded to 60,000 sqm.

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

KaDeWe has seven huge floors and each one contains different 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 these 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 floor (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.

On the top level one can find 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.