Wiener KaDeWe, in the heart of Mariahilfer Strasse

Excellent news for the Viennese; KaDeWe, the shopping paradise in Berlin, will open its doors on Mariahilfer Strasse, the soon Wiener KaDeWe.

The Kaufhaus des Westens, or the “department store of the west”,  is the second-largest department store in Europe, coming only after Harrods in London. The Wiener KaDeWe will also be among the largest in town, with a 25.000 square-meter shopping area and a 150-room luxury hotel.

KaDeWe Vienna will occupy the Leiner-Haus near the Museumsquartier. The architecture office OMA will convert Leiner’s headquarters into the high-end department store. The Dutch office, founded by the famous architect Rem Koolhaas in 1975, will redesign the building, maintaining its historic facade.

Ellen van Loon and Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, of OMA, won the design competition to make the Wiener KaDeWe with their fantastic project. They explain the building will be “an architectural device that establishes new urban connections and public spaces through its own internal organisation.”

The KaDeWe complex will be OMA’s first project in Vienna. The department store, with the hotel in the rear, will have a green passage between the two. On the roof, a 1.000 square-meter public garden with tree groves and sun decks, will allow you to have the most incredible views onto the city.

As from autumn 2023, the Viennese will be able to shop at the new department store not only premium labels but also everyday goods. On the top floor, there will be a gourmet food department.

Hopefully, the Wiener KaDeWe will host as many mini-restaurants, bars and stalls as Berlin’s iconic KaDeWe does, where visitors regain forces by indulging in oysters and champagne!

We’re counting the days till the opening!

CS

Photos courtesy of OMA