KaDeWe Department Store in Berlin: an overview, features and reviews

Berlin is considered the museum capital of the old Europe, architectural masterpieces Brandenburger Tor, the building of the Reichstag, the picturesque and smelling street Unter den Linden, the ensemble on Alexanderplatz and Kunfurstendam daily attract an impressive portion of tourists.

One of the traditional bourgeois monuments of the city of Berlin is KaDeWe, a department store that lives more than a hundred years on the street Tauentzienstraße. This is a modern monument of bourgeois luxury, a modern atypical tourist attraction, a large entertainment and beautiful life center. KaDeWe is able to surprise a person who has seen much and ruin even the most inveterate miser.

KaDeWe - the best shopping in Germany

One of the advertising slogans of the shopping center sounds like this: "If you do not have any goods, then most likely it does not exist"

The KaDeWe department store in Berlin, or Kaufhaus des Westens (Western Trade House), is considered to be the largest department store in continental Europe. The area of the commercial giant Ka-de-Ve is 60 thousand square meters. M. Every day the department store accepts more than 50 thousand visitors. The building has 67 escalators and 26 elevators. This luxury trading machine operates every day except Sunday.

Given the scale and scope of this trade enterprise, it is absolutely natural that this particular store has become a favorite shopping place for celebrities. At various times, the department store bought Marlene Dietrich, Heidi Klum, Peris Hilton, almost all European princesses, Robin Williams and others.

The history of the oldest boutique in Germany

Even considering all department stores in the world, KaDeWe (Berlin) among them is one of the most solid and ancient. This merchant long-liver was built in the distant 1907 by merchant Adolf Yandof. Later the building was sold to Hertie, and in the 1930s it was confiscated and nationalized. After that, as often happens with state-owned enterprises, the store was ruined financially, and soon it was destroyed, literally in 1943. The building was rebuilt in the 1950s, at which time the shopping center was a symbol of capitalistic luxury and diversity. Only intensified the already distinct contrast between East Germany and the West.

Today the department store is considered a symbol of German quality, service and lifestyle. The composition of visitors is very different. But most of all in the German department store of a solid age, many Asians, especially Chinese, Russian buyers and onlookers who do not buy anything, but want to look at all the splendor.

Geography of the shopping center: how not to get lost in the country of shopping

The KaDeWe building in Berlin is truly huge. In addition, this place is often overcrowded due to its excessive popularity. Those who want to make a visit to the shopping center as productive as possible should, at the beginning, at least approximately enlighten themselves about where they are located. Otherwise, there is a risk to spend the whole day in search of the necessary department.

There are 7 floors in the department store, each of which specializes in a certain group of goods.

1. The first floor is the patrimony of luxury perfume shops, cosmetics. Also there are boutiques with bags, watches, ornaments. Opportunity to meet a fake in the departments of such a status trading house is zero, the opportunity to meet an enthusiastic lady - one hundred percent.

2. The second floor was occupied by stores of goods for men. Here a large selection of truly German quality footwear, clothing, accessories from the reputable brands of luxury segment and middletrade: Lacoste, Hugo, Armani. Also an impressive range of products for sports and outdoor activities.

3. The third floor - this is another illustration of the novel about "lady's happiness." Here, women's clothing, footwear, underwear, accessories are sold.

4. The fourth floor should be visited by those who are looking for gifts, souvenirs, household goods, children's things, dishes, wedding things.

5. On the fifth floor there are shops where you can buy everything for entertainment: books, toys, travel goods, gadgets, equipment,

6. The sixth floor is completely given to the department of gastronomy. Here you can try and buy all kinds of products in the most unimaginable combinations.

7. On the seventh floor there is a restaurant with a beautiful panoramic view of Berlin and a gourmet selection of wines and snacks.

Which brands are represented in the department store

On the ground floor there are many shops of world cosmetics brands and jewelry boutiques: Dr. Hauschka, Kanebo Sensai, La Mer, Estée Lauder, Lancome, La Prairie, Omega, Tiffany & Co, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, Bulgari.

On the second and third floors there are many shops of the middle price segment and authoritative German and European brands: Carven, Mary Katrantzou, Issa London, Theory, Alice + Olivia, Lacoste, Hugo, Escada, Armani, Gucci, The Row, Dior, Elizabeth & James , True Religion, Fred Perry.

Department of Gastronomy - a gourmet paradise on the sixth floor.

The famous paradise of delicious dishes on the sixth floor is another KaDeWe business card in Berlin. This department was in the Guinness Book of Records. Its size and scope is amazing. The department sells more than 500 types of bread, 8 thousand kinds of cheeses, more than two thousand varieties of wine. The department sells products of different, cardinally different price categories. This large-scale food hall sells the rarest and unique delicacies and an endless number of options for conventional products. Three-quarters of all visitors to the department store are necessarily looking into this department. Moreover, if the whole department store is more a tourist place for shopping, then in the grocery department the highest probability is to meet the Germans.

Councils for beginners and continuing shopaholics. Or how to keep your mind and wallet

Most travelers who visited this iconic shopping center note that prices in it keep pace with its prestige. In many European shopping centers, especially in Munich, Milan, Barcelona, prices are lower even for similar delusional positions than in KaDeWe in Berlin. The shops of our country, however, can not boast of competitive prices, even in comparison with the cult and not cheap "KaDeVe". So for those who do not have a rich experience of European shopping, the prices in the "KaDeVe" hotels will seem very pleasant, in comparison with Moscow or Kiev. Moreover, in the huge Berlin store there is much more assortment and higher quality of service.

For those who do not like to overpay, to arrange a diet for their wallet only in the name of visiting the largest department store in Europe, you should remember a few rules.

Air travelers with the purchase of goods that are advantageous for the price should take their weight into account and immediately round up their cost, taking into account how much they will have to pay in excess at the airport. Or fly to Berlin only with hand luggage, and on the return flight book a fare with luggage.

Also, before the visit to the shopping center, you can get acquainted with the brands that are represented there, and sketch out an exemplary shopping list. For those who crave to have more detailed data about the shopping center, there is a website www.kadewe.de. The map of the center, the list of shops, schedules of their work, schedule of safes and other useful information can be found on this site.

The most pleasant time for a measured shopping in KaDeWe is the period before lunch on weekdays. Then the shopping center is not filled with local buyers, tourists have a chance to calmly make a choice, fitting and buying. Without long queues and very characteristic sellout hysteria, which can be briefly described as "At such discounts you have to take EVERYTHING, otherwise someone else will take it." This situation should be avoided and prevented by all means. Set yourself the maximum allowable amount of expenses for a specific shopping, do not buy something that is not quite suitable just because things that are really needed were not found. Perhaps, as an additional deterrent with a girlfriend, wife or mother.

Alas, not every young lady has a "vaccine" from shopaholism. Fortunately, many women have learned to mask this vice under "innocent weakness." Before plunging into the atmosphere of luxury and shopping happiness, which is often associated with the KaDeWe store in Berlin, it may be worth to visit several other interesting sights of the glorious German capital, to watch the natives. Thus, you will have at least some chance to become infected with German pragmatism and a passion for logic. Not all people can spend several hours in the shopping center, without spending all that has been earned for the last 200 years. And even those who think that shopping magic is not acting on them, just do not fully realize how much the magic of a large luxury shopping center affects the minds of consumers. So, it does not hurt to take a shopping with a piece of the German mentality. And try a sober approach to shopping.

Sales in Berlin

The ideal time for shopping is the season of discounts. In KaDeWe, as, indeed, everywhere in Berlin, the main periods of discounts are December-January and August-September. Most experts in shopping advise to pay attention to sales on classic things or cult, those that are always in the trend. These can be bags, outerwear, suits, shoes.

For those who are soberly and purposefully planning a shopping trip in Berlin, the KaDeWe department store can become the starting point of a tragic marathon. But, if there is a little time, your shopping tour at this department store should not end. The fact is that in Berlin is also a lot of outlets, where prices are much more pleasant, and shopping is more profitable and venturesome. Outlets mostly sell original and high-quality items, but from last year's collections and with very nice discounts. The problem with outlets is that they are far from the central districts and boutique arteries of the city, so the list of planned purchases must be impressive to compensate for travel expenses and inconveniences. The main outlet: Designer Outlet Berlin, Zalando Outlet, Leiser Fabrikverkauf.

Where to have a good time, eat and relax in a department store

In addition to shopping, in KaDeVe there are many more options for pastime. On the first floor there are many beauty salons, where female souls are treated not only with a banal massage and manicure. Here you can try out unique SPA procedures that are available only in the most expensive hotels.

On the fifth floor near the book department there is a cozy, very stylish zone for reading (and also free).

In all the department store there are many restaurants and cafes of famous chains, but the most pathos restaurant is on the seventh floor. An institution is not cheap. A magnificent view of the city is probably included in the bill. Also on this floor there is a conservatory and a terrace.

Instead of an afterword

KaDeWe in Berlin is one of the main unofficial sights. It's not strange that many international tourists are eager to visit this pathetic department store. And not always with the goal of buying something. This is the paradox of large shopping centers: not every visitor becomes a buyer. This fate can not be avoided by the Dubai Mall, Harrods in London and even the Russian Central Department Store. All the salt is that the eminent shopping centers offer retail space with inflated rents. In addition, in boutiques of luxury brands, prices are already terribly biting.

The only good advice for tourists with an average solvency is not to be afraid to visit expensive shopping centers and take such hikes as visits to museums or to exhibitions. So do millions of tourists. Moreover, we can safely say that the management of department stores is absolutely supportive of such visitors. Even those who do not bring income to specific trading pavilions, still helps to maintain the image of the whole department store. Tourists there walk, take pictures, post photos in social networks, talk about the store to friends. This is also a kind of passive advertising. And what a buzz for the buyers: take a walk, take a look at the beauty, taste something, try on luxurious shoes, potestit doroguschie perfume, gaze at the smart showcases. And buy a loaf and pantyhose. As a result, a minimum of costs and a maximum of pleasant impressions.

It is not suitable for such an option for those individuals who do not always feel comfortable in expensive stores. To avoid an embarrassing situation, it should be understood that the customer service culture in Germany, especially in the "KaDeVe", is at a high level. So the situation when sellers demonstrate an sour face with a dumb question: "So we will buy something" ?, arise extremely rarely.