KaDeWe 1907
KaDeWe 1929
KaDeWe 1943
KaDeWe 1950
KaDeWe 1956
KaDeWe circa 1994
KaDeWe circa 2000
1905
Adolf Jandorf commissions the architect Johann Emil Schaudt with the construction of the building and founds a department store.
27 March 1907
The 'Kaufhaus des Westens' opens its doors for the first time. Jandorf presents a superlative range on five floors over 24,000 sq m. The huge range of goods and services attracts visitors from the whole of Berlin.
1910
Under the auspices of KaDeWe, Tauentzienstraße changes from a pleasant residential street to become one of the most famous boulevards in the city.
1927
Hermann Tietz takes over KaDeWe and incorporates it into the Hertie group of department stores.
1929-1930
Herrmann Tietz gets the architects Schaudt and Stroeming to enlarge the store.
1933
During the National Socialist era, a banking group forces the Jewish owners to sell the Hertie chain by withholding credits and appoints an "Aryan" managing director.
1943
An American aeroplane crashes into KaDeWe. The store almost burns to the ground.
1950
KaDeWe becomes a symbol of the new beginning after the war. 180,000 Berliners celebrate the reopening of the first two floors on 3 July, 1950.
1956
Construction of all seven floors is complete. The Gourmet Floor is opened. It becomes a mecca for gourmets and the store's crowd puller.
1976-1978
KaDeWe is further expanded, with the sales space extended to around 44,000 sqm.
November 1989
KaDeWe experiences the biggest boom in its history after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
1991-1996
Another floor is added to the store. A restaurant is added under a new glass roof. The sales space is expanded to around 60,000 sqm.
1994
Karstadt AG (today Arcandor AG) takes over Hertie. KaDeWe becomes the flagship store of the Karstadt Warenhaus Group.
January 2004
Start of repositioning - refurbishment begins.
October 2004
The new ground floor with the luxury boulevard and entirely redesigned beauty department is opened.
October 2005
The newly opened fashion floors present leading international designer labels on around 20,000 sqm.
February 2006
Arcandor AG combines its highest profile department stores to form the Premium Group.
2006
The Wintergarten Restaurant under the glass dome is redesigned.
October 2006
Refurbishment of the third and fifth floors is completed. On the third floor KaDeWe extends its range of services with a wellness area and four new beauty lounges.
2007
Large-scale anniversary celebrations with the motto '100 years of KaDeWe'.