Berlin's primarily disappeared sanctuaries of shopping and consumerism
Berlin, known for its vibrant culture and rich history, has a long-standing tradition of department stores that have shaped the city's retail landscape. Here's a look at some of the notable department stores that have graced the city over the years.
In the early 20th century, Wertheim on Leipziger Straße was Europe's largest department store. However, it was partly demolished in the early days of the GDR and later housed the techno club Tresor from 1991 to 2005.
Another iconic department store, Karstadt Hermannplatz, was designed by Philipp Schaeffer at the end of the 1920s and was considered the most modern department store in Europe during the Golden Twenties. Restoration of this historic building was scheduled to start at the end of 2023, but the plans have been put on hold following the bankruptcy of the SIGNA real estate company.
The Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) was opened by Adolf Jandorf in 1907 and is considered one of the most famous department stores of its period. Jandorf also opened a department store in Berlin at the end of the 19th century, an Art Nouveau-inspired building that survived the war undamaged.
Hermann Tietz was a pioneer of the department store business in Germany, and his store 'Hertie' was built on Leipziger Straße around 1900. Another Hertie department store was located on Alexanderplatz, but it was destroyed during the war.
Before World War I, Berlin had several notable department stores, including the famous Karstadt at Hermannplatz, which was already established by 1936 and is historically linked to the city's retail scene before the war. Karstadt took over the location in 1967 and the building is now a department store by the name of GALERIA.
The HO Centrum department store was built on Alexanderplatz in the late 1960s and was considered the most distinguished department store in the GDR. It is now the Galeria Kaufhof.
Warenhaus Maaßen, a department store for women's fashion, left its mark on the Oranienstrasse in Kreuzberg and is now a chic hotel.
The Jonaß department store was one of the first to use the concept of credit, but was expropriated during the National Socialist era.
Edmund Elend had a large department store built in Tempelhof before the First World War. Under new management, the department store moved to Alexanderplatz and the building itself was used for other purposes several times in history, including housing the administration of the Reich Youth Leadership, the Central Committee of the SED, an Institute for Marxism-Leninism, and today it is the luxurious Soho House.
In 1913, Edmund Elend built a new department store known today as Karstadt Tempelhof. The Karstadt department store on Tempelhofer Damm and Kaiserin-Augusta-Strasse was "Aryanised" by the Nazis and continued under the name "Sera".
The Friedrichstraßenpassage, the second-largest shopping arcade in Berlin, opened in 1909 but filed for bankruptcy within 6 months due to a central cash register system issue.
The Kaisergalerie in Berlin opened in 1873 and was destroyed in the 1950s.
Georg Karg ran the ailing Hertie group after the war and partially compensated the Tietz family. After the Nazis took power, the Hertie group was "Aryanised" and redistributed.
These department stores have played a significant role in Berlin's retail history, contributing to the city's vibrant shopping scene and cultural identity. Today, many of these historic buildings continue to serve as bustling department stores, while others have been repurposed for new uses, preserving a piece of Berlin's rich history.
