The Wertheim Dream
In 1927, the Wertheim family celebrated the fifth expansion of their store on Leipziger Strasse in Berlin. Join us as we explore its architecture and the story's unexpected ending.
In 1927, the Wertheim family celebrated the fifth expansion of their store on Leipziger Strasse in Berlin, 52 years after its owner had first opened a small business in the town of Stralsund.
Wertheim was a department store with several branches in Germany. Its flagship store on Leipziger Strasse, built in 1896, was the largest in Europe at the time, rivaling Harrods in London and the Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Join us as we explore the department store through the brochure that was published to celebrate its opening.
Leipziger-Platz (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
In the very heart of Berlin
The project to expand the building spanned 35 years and was overseen by the German architect Alfred Messel. Throughout the building work, the electric lights at night and the steel scaffolding caused something of a stir among Berliners and visitors alike.
Electric stairs (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
Modern and audacious
The building achieved international acclaim for its technical features: 105,000 electrical light bulbs, 3,300 radiators, 300 telephones, 4 external staircases, 25 internal staircases, 54 elevators, 2 escalators, 185 fire hydrants, and 192 fire alarms.
Department of clothing and silk fabrics (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
The grand atrium: where the spectacle begins!
With an area of 7,997 square feet (743 sq. m) and measuring over 78 feet (24 m) high, the central atrium featured walls and pillars with opulent marble inlay, and 2 enormous bronze bridges. Anyone able to tear their eyes away from the ceiling would find that they could buy beautiful silk fabrics for making clothes.
Linen Department (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
In this space, decked in walnut with carvings and silver-plated wall lights, Berliners could browse table linens with a sense that they were witnessing the city's recovery from the recent financial crisis. It seemed to say, "Let's look on the bright side: everything's going to be fine."
Glove department (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
With the imposing sculpture—Labor, by the German sculptor Ludwig Manzel—overlooking the room, it seemed the message of a promising future was everywhere. "Hey, stranger! Buy yourself some gloves here. We're in Germany, and the winters are long and cold."
Mural The Old Port (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
Fritz Gehrke's old door
The central atrium featured two enormous frescoes: allegories representing the old and the new; the past and the future.
Mural The New Port (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
Max Koch's new door
A sense of optimism was in the air. There was nothing in those magnificent stores to remind people of the distant war and its punishing treaties.
Reliefs of the central atrium (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
Marble reliefs adorning the pillars in the central atrium depicted fairy tales to entertain the clientele, with Cinderella, Hans in Luck, and the Bremen Town Musicians momentarily transporting them to an imaginary world.
Sausage Department (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
May I help you?
Be sure to pay a visit to our departments selling hosiery, rugs, furniture, footwear, perfume, glass, porcelain, gold and silver, toys, food, sewing supplies, leatherware, stationery, hats, toiletries, dinnerware, books, sheet music, and paintings.
Lockers and travel agency (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
We also have special departments for prints, antiques, art, eyewear, watches, radios and music equipment, photography studios, a library service, a box office, a travel agency, a hairdresser, and a post office. There's something for everyone.
Travel items section (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
The beginning of the end
The family had embarked on an ambitious journey, offering their customers a complete shopping experience with their impressive business plan. However, it was all destroyed in under 10 years. All of it, that is, except for one room …
Wertheim Bank (1927) by Wertheim studiosOriginal Source: Wertheim Department Store Publishing Service
… The Wertheim Bank. The building was nationalized in 1936, bombed in 1944, and finally demolished in 1955. However, the bank hidden inside the strong room in the cellar survived, waiting patiently …
… to be unearthed. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991, Johnnie Stieler, Achim Hohlberger, and Dimitri Hegemann found the vault and established the legendary Tresor club there. It was here that Berliners celebrated the end of the longest and coldest of German winters.
Story by Eugenia Martín-Crespo and Ana Moreno Garrido.
In partnership with the Diego de Sagredo Foundation.
The Wertheim brochure, Berlin. Photos: Atelier Wertheim.
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.