Curious to know about a store that has witnessed Berlin’s transformations? That’s Galeria Berlin Alexanderplatz. This department store stands tall with a rich history. It mirrors Berlin’s ever-changing landscape.
Originally, Hermann Tietz built a department store here in the early 20th century. Sadly, World War II heavily damaged that building. It was later torn down. From 1967 to 1970, the Centrum Warenhaus rose. It was a project by the state-owned trade organization. Josef Kaiser and Gunter Kunert designed it. November 25, 1970 marked its opening. The Centrum Warenhaus was the largest department store in East Germany. It boasted a sales area of 15000 square meters. About 1900 square meters were for food and beverages. Its dimensions measured 78.60 m x 80.70 m. The building reached a height of 34 meters. It had six floors.
After reunification, the Metro AG took over the building. It became a Galeria Kaufhof location. The sales area expanded to 20000 square meters. This Galeria became one of Germany’s top-selling department stores.
Between 2004 and 2006, extensive modernizations took place. Josef Paul Kleihues led the architectural changes. The building’s footprint grew. The facade facing Alexanderplatz moved about 25 meters closer to the square’s center. The fourth and fifth floors became retail space. The sales area increased from 20000 to 35000 square meters. This made it one of Europe’s largest Kaufhof stores.
The original metal facade featured honeycomb elements. Kleihues replaced it with a natural stone facade. It used Gauinger Travertine and large glass surfaces. This style mirrored many Berlin buildings from the 1990s. A large atrium with a glass dome now sits in the building’s center. Twenty escalators move under the dome. They are some of the world’s longest free-standing department store escalators. The Metro AG invested 110 million Euros in these changes. Around 85 million Euros went to property purchases. Kaufhof AG added 27 million Euros for fixtures and technology. Remarkably, the renovations occurred during regular business hours. The store never closed for construction.
Galeria is set to expand northwest by approximately 20 meters. This expansion is towards Karl-Liebknecht-Straße. A 134-meter-high tower will integrate into the building. This tower at Dircksen- and Karl-Liebknecht-Straße will have 33 floors. It will match the height of the Park Inn Hotel. A new entrance will open onto Karl-Liebknecht-Straße.
Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof rebranded to Galeria. However, this change came with challenges. In May 2024, the company announced the closure of 16 out of 92 stores. These closures impact around 1400 employees. The company aims to restructure.
Galeria faced financial difficulties. In September 2020, Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof entered protective shield proceedings. The goal was to avoid insolvency. The company confirmed its insolvency plan in March 2021. Despite these efforts, the group seeks investors to secure its future.
Galeria’s founder was Leonhard Tietz. He was born in Berlin in 1849. In 1879, he founded his first department store in Stralsund. Tietz’s company expanded rapidly. By the early 1930s, it had 15000 employees at 43 locations.
Galeria Berlin Alexanderplatz remains a shopping destination. It evolves while retaining its historical significance. It symbolizes resilience amid Berlin’s transformations.