After a busy day, partly work and some shopping and after a nice Glühwein at a Weinachtsmarkt, we ended up in KaDeWe (Kaufhauf Des Westens) at the 6th floor to have a perfect cheese dinner.
About KaDeWe (from Wikipedia).
The Kaufhaus des Westens (English "Department Store of the West", commonly abbreviated KaDeWe) is a department store in Berlin and the largest in all of continental Europe. With over 60,000 square metres of selling space and more than 380,000 articles available, 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.
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.
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 1930's 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.
During 1976-1978 KaDaWe expanded from 24,000 sqm to 44,000 sqm. When
the Berlin wall fell in 1989, KaDaWe had record breaking amount of
people travel through the store. By 1996, the store's sales area
expanded to 60,000 sqm and a restaurant was added to the top floor.
In 1994, the KarstadtQuelle AG
corporation acquired Hertie and with it KaDeWe. Most of the floors were
renovated between 2004 and 2007 to prepare for their one hundredth
anniversary.
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. Most men
tend to avoid this level. Also the "Luxury Boulevard" is situated at
these floor, with own shops of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Gucci, Chanel, Bvlgari, Cartier or Montblanc.
The 2nd floor is Men's Apparel. On this floor you can find mens
fashion whether you need a pair of jeans or a new suit for a night on
the town. Most of the clothing on this floor are designer made. If
you're looking for a cheap pair of jeans there are better places to go
than KaDeWe's 2nd floor.
The next floor up is devoted to Womens Fashion. This is the 2nd
floor for women, but this one focuses on designer clothing. KaDeWe has
a wide selection from a nice pair of pants to a little black dress for
the next party.
The 4th floor contains a little of something for everyone. Part of
the floor is children's wear. You can find fashion for newborns up to
kids. Another chunk of the floor is devoted to lingerie. The last
little bit contains items for your healthiness. You can get a brand new
bed or pick up some toiletries.
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.
