The 20th century was eventful everywhere, but few places were quite as eventful as Berlin during those turbulent 100 years. World War I, the Depression, the rise of Hitler, World War II, the Cold War, the building of the Berlin Wall and its eventual fall -- Berlin formed the epicenter of many of the events which shaped the tumultuous century.
And one of the Berlin institutions which came through it all is now celebrating 100 years of existence. The city's trademark department store, the Kaufhaus des Westens -- better known by the abbreviation KaDeWe -- marks its 100th anniversary Thursday.
The store was founded by the businessman Adolf Jandorf in 1905. It was built to the designs of the architect Emil Schaudt and first opened its doors in March 1907. Then in 1927, the KaDeWe was taken over by the German Jewish businessman Hermann Tietz, whose department store chain would later be seized by the Nazis and renamed Hertie.
The store itself could not avoid being caught up in the tide of history. An American plane crashed into the building in 1943 during World War II and almost completely destroyed the shop.
The reconstruction of the store took several years and crowds of Berliners flocked to the store's re-opening in July 1950. During the post-war period, the store became a symbol of West German prosperity. The KaDeWe eventually became part of the KarstadtQuelle group in 1994 when the retail giant took over Hertie.
The seven-story shop is located on Tauentzienstraße in west Berlin, near the famous Zoo Station and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and is today one of the city's best-known sights.
The KaDeWe is celebrating its 100th birthday with a party and a massive cake in the main hall on the ground floor.
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