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Kaufhaus des Westens

March 11, 2023

The Kaufhaus des Westens (German for 'Department Store of the West'), abbreviated to KaDeWe, is a department store in Berlin, Germany. With over 60,000 square meters (650,000 sq ft) of retail space and more than 380,000 articles available, it is the second-largest department store in Europe after Harrods in London. It attracts 40,000 to 50,000 visitors every day.

Present KaDeWe department store logo
Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe), Berlin, 2013

The store is located on Tauentzienstraße, a major shopping street, between Wittenbergplatz and Breitscheidplatz, near the heart of former West Berlin. It is technically in the extreme northwest of the south Berlin neighborhood of Schöneberg.

Since 2015, KaDeWe has been owned by the Central Group, a Thailand-based international department store conglomerate.[1]

History

 
Former neon sign
 
KaDeWe department store, Berlin, 1907

Empire and Weimar Republic: the Jandorf Era

The businessman Adolf Jandorf had opened six stores for basic needs with his company A. Jandorf & Co. in Berlin by 1905. Like the competitor stores Wertheim Leipziger Strasse (1894) and the Warenhaus Tietz (1900), also on Leipziger Strasse, Jandorf wanted to cater for the high consumer desires of the Wilhelminism elite. Jandorf's seventh branch was supposed to "satisfy the spoiled demands of the top ten thousand, the top one thousand, the very top five hundred," as the weekly cultural magazine Der Roland von Berlin (Zeitschrift) [de] wrote. With a GmbH of the same name founded especially for this purpose, in which his partner company M.J. Emden Söhne (Hamburg) held a four per cent stake, Jandorf began planning the new store in 1905 under the name Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe). It was planned that the term Kaufhaus (department store) should set itself apart from the usual store and wholesaling warehouse. The abbreviation KaDeWe was used from the start and, according to a commemorative publication from 1932, was based on the abbreviation of company names that had become common in the US at the time.

The department store was built to designs by the architect Emil Schaudt [de]. It opened on 27 March 1907 with an area of 24,000 sq m.[2]

In June 1927, ownership changed to Hermann Tietz, who was responsible for modernizing and expanding the store. He wanted to add two new floors, but because of the Nazi rise to power in the 1930s these plans came to a sudden halt.

Nazi era

Hermann Tietz was a Jewish-owned partnership and because of the Nazis' anti-Jewish laws the company was aryanized—that is, transferred to non-Jewish owners—and its name changed to Hertie.[3]

During World War II, Allied bombing ruined most of the store, with one shot-down American bomber actually crashing into it in 1943. Most of the store was gutted, which caused its closure.

Postwar

The re-opening of the first two floors was celebrated in 1950. Full reconstruction of all seven floors was finished by 1956. "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.[2]

Between 1976 and 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, the sales area had expanded to 60,000 sq m.[2]

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.

In January 2014, a majority stake in Karstadt Premium GmbH was acquired by the Signa Holding GmbH.[4] In 2015, it was acquired by the Bangkok-based Central Group.[5]

In March 2021, the company joined the Fur Free Retailer Program (FFRP).[6]

Features

 
The food hall on the sixth floor
 
Winter garden - restaurant at top floor

KaDeWe has eight floors, each focused on a different type of merchandise.

The ground floor is for beauty accessories and luxury goods. The services offered include beauty salons as well as nail and foot spas.

The so-called "Luxury Boulevard" is also situated here, with various luxury brands.

The 1st floor for is men's apparel.

The 2nd floor is devoted to women's fashion.

The 3rd floor is referred to as "the Loft" and is Germany's biggest luxury shoe department. Women's leather goods and lingerie are also sold here.

The 4th floor contains interior and design items, as well as the in-house wedding and gift registry services.

The 5th floor is for arts, books, entertainment, electronics, toys, office supplies, and souvenirs.

The 6th and 7th floors are entirely devoted to food, and are advertised as having two football fields of food. The 6th floor food hall is called "Delicatessen" and is famous for its wide variety of food and beverages. It has around 110 cooks and 40 bakers and confectioners, supplying more than 30 gourmet counters. The top floor (added in the early 1990s) includes a winter garden with a 1000-seat restaurant surrounded by an all-windowed wall offering a view over the Wittenbergplatz.

Media

In 2021 a six-part TV mini-series set in and around the store was produced in Germany, based on the somewhat fictionalised lives of Harry Jandorf (son of the store's founder), Georg Karg (the store's manager), together with two completely fictional characters, Fritzi Jandorf (daughter of the store's founder) and Hedi (a store worker), set between the end of World War I and the aryanisation of the store as the Nazis came to power.[7] The series was shown in BBC4's Saturday night "foreign language" slot in mid-2022, subtitled in English.

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,
  • Nils Busch-Petersen: Adolf Jandorf – Vom Volkswarenhaus zum KaDeWe, Hentrich & Hentrich, Berlin 2007, 80 p., ISBN 978-3-938485-10-1

References

  1. ^ "Central Department Store Group (CDG)". Central Group. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b c KaDeWe 2012-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, City of Berlin
  3. ^ "The Attack on Berlin Department Stores (Warenhaeuser) After 1933" (PDF). yadvashem.org.
  4. ^ [1] 2017-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, KaDeWe Berlin company Web site
  5. ^ "Central Department Store Group (CDG)". Central Group. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  6. ^ KaDeWe joins Fur Free Retailer programme from 2. March 2011 in Ecotextile.com
  7. ^ Vena, Teresa (2021-08-26). "Shooting of the series Eldorado KaDeWe by Julia von Heinz starts in Berlin and Budapest". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2022-12-02.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kaufhaus des Westens.
  • , (English)
  • Europe's Biggest Department Store featuring history of KaDeWe, berlin-life.com
  • „Seventh Heaven“, Christophorus, No. 326, The Porsche Magazine, June/July 2007, p. 66 - 74.
  • „Not heaven, but not hell either“, signandsight.com, December 22, 2005 by Roger Boyes
  • Fare Of The Country; In One Berlin Store, Food Without End, New York Times, March 10, 1991

Coordinates: 52°30′06″N 13°20′28″E / 52.50167°N 13.34111°E / 52.50167; 13.34111

March 11, 2023
kaufhaus, westens, german, department, store, west, abbreviated, kadewe, department, store, berlin, germany, with, over, square, meters, retail, space, more, than, articles, available, second, largest, department, store, europe, after, harrods, london, attract. The Kaufhaus des Westens German for Department Store of the West abbreviated to KaDeWe is a department store in Berlin Germany With over 60 000 square meters 650 000 sq ft of retail space and more than 380 000 articles available it is the second largest department store in Europe after Harrods in London It attracts 40 000 to 50 000 visitors every day Present KaDeWe department store logo Kaufhaus des Westens KaDeWe Berlin 2013 The store is located on Tauentzienstrasse a major shopping street between Wittenbergplatz and Breitscheidplatz near the heart of former West Berlin It is technically in the extreme northwest of the south Berlin neighborhood of Schoneberg Since 2015 KaDeWe has been owned by the Central Group a Thailand based international department store conglomerate 1 Contents 1 History 2 Empire and Weimar Republic the Jandorf Era 3 Nazi era 4 Postwar 5 Features 6 Media 7 Bibliography 8 References 9 External linksHistory Edit Former neon sign KaDeWe department store Berlin 1907Empire and Weimar Republic the Jandorf Era EditThe businessman Adolf Jandorf had opened six stores for basic needs with his company A Jandorf amp Co in Berlin by 1905 Like the competitor stores Wertheim Leipziger Strasse 1894 and the Warenhaus Tietz 1900 also on Leipziger Strasse Jandorf wanted to cater for the high consumer desires of the Wilhelminism elite Jandorf s seventh branch was supposed to satisfy the spoiled demands of the top ten thousand the top one thousand the very top five hundred as the weekly cultural magazine Der Roland von Berlin Zeitschrift de wrote With a GmbH of the same name founded especially for this purpose in which his partner company M J Emden Sohne Hamburg held a four per cent stake Jandorf began planning the new store in 1905 under the name Kaufhaus des Westens KaDeWe It was planned that the term Kaufhaus department store should set itself apart from the usual store and wholesaling warehouse The abbreviation KaDeWe was used from the start and according to a commemorative publication from 1932 was based on the abbreviation of company names that had become common in the US at the time The department store was built to designs by the architect Emil Schaudt de It opened on 27 March 1907 with an area of 24 000 sq m 2 In June 1927 ownership changed to Hermann Tietz who was responsible for modernizing and expanding the store He wanted to add two new floors but because of the Nazi rise to power in the 1930s these plans came to a sudden halt Nazi era EditHermann Tietz was a Jewish owned partnership and because of the Nazis anti Jewish laws the company was aryanized that is transferred to non Jewish owners and its name changed to Hertie 3 During World War II Allied bombing ruined most of the store with one shot down American bomber actually crashing into it in 1943 Most of the store was gutted which caused its closure Postwar EditThe re opening of the first two floors was celebrated in 1950 Full reconstruction of all seven floors was finished by 1956 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 2 Between 1976 and 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 the sales area had expanded to 60 000 sq m 2 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 In January 2014 a majority stake in Karstadt Premium GmbH was acquired by the Signa Holding GmbH 4 In 2015 it was acquired by the Bangkok based Central Group 5 In March 2021 the company joined the Fur Free Retailer Program FFRP 6 Features EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message The food hall on the sixth floor Winter garden restaurant at top floor KaDeWe has eight floors each focused on a different type of merchandise The ground floor is for beauty accessories and luxury goods The services offered include beauty salons as well as nail and foot spas The so called Luxury Boulevard is also situated here with various luxury brands The 1st floor for is men s apparel The 2nd floor is devoted to women s fashion The 3rd floor is referred to as the Loft and is Germany s biggest luxury shoe department Women s leather goods and lingerie are also sold here The 4th floor contains interior and design items as well as the in house wedding and gift registry services The 5th floor is for arts books entertainment electronics toys office supplies and souvenirs The 6th and 7th floors are entirely devoted to food and are advertised as having two football fields of food The 6th floor food hall is called Delicatessen and is famous for its wide variety of food and beverages It has around 110 cooks and 40 bakers and confectioners supplying more than 30 gourmet counters The top floor added in the early 1990s includes a winter garden with a 1000 seat restaurant surrounded by an all windowed wall offering a view over the Wittenbergplatz Media EditIn 2021 a six part TV mini series set in and around the store was produced in Germany based on the somewhat fictionalised lives of Harry Jandorf son of the store s founder Georg Karg the store s manager together with two completely fictional characters Fritzi Jandorf daughter of the store s founder and Hedi a store worker set between the end of World War I and the aryanisation of the store as the Nazis came to power 7 The series was shown in BBC4 s Saturday night foreign language slot in mid 2022 subtitled in English Bibliography EditAntonia Meiners 100 Jahre KaDeWe Nicolaische Verlagsbuchhandlung Berlin 2007 168 p 80 colour photos 80 b amp w photos clothbound ISBN 978 3 89479 386 9 summary in german Nils Busch Petersen Adolf Jandorf Vom Volkswarenhaus zum KaDeWe Hentrich amp Hentrich Berlin 2007 80 p ISBN 978 3 938485 10 1References Edit Central Department Store Group CDG Central Group Retrieved 24 January 2017 a b c KaDeWe Archived 2012 03 05 at the Wayback Machine City of Berlin The Attack on Berlin Department Stores Warenhaeuser After 1933 PDF yadvashem org 1 Archived 2017 06 24 at the Wayback Machine KaDeWe Berlin company Web site Central Department Store Group CDG Central Group Retrieved 24 January 2017 KaDeWe joins Fur Free Retailer programme from 2 March 2011 in Ecotextile com Vena Teresa 2021 08 26 Shooting of the series Eldorado KaDeWe by Julia von Heinz starts in Berlin and Budapest Cineuropa Retrieved 2022 12 02 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kaufhaus des Westens KaDeWe Kaufhaus des Westens in Berlin English Europe s Biggest Department Store featuring history of KaDeWe berlin life com Seventh Heaven Christophorus No 326 The Porsche Magazine June July 2007 p 66 74 Not heaven but not hell either signandsight com December 22 2005 by Roger Boyes Fare Of The Country In One Berlin Store Food Without End New York Times March 10 1991 Coordinates 52 30 06 N 13 20 28 E 52 50167 N 13 34111 E 52 50167 13 34111 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kaufhaus des Westens amp oldid 1143318658, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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