KURFÜRSTENDAMM

Description

Essentials about the Kurfürstendamm in brief

No visit to Berlin is complete without a stroll along Kurfürstendamm, probably the most famous street in the former western part of the city. Especially shopping enthusiasts will find their happiness on Berlin’s most popular shopping mile. On wide sidewalks you can stroll along elegant shop windows or settle down in one of the numerous cafés. The 3.5-kilometer Ku’damm, as locals call it for short, begins at Breitscheidplatz with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and ends at Rathenauplatz in the chic suburb of Grunewald. Along Kurfürstendamm are large shopping centers, the stores of almost all international brands and especially the flagship stores and designer boutiques of exlusive fashion and jewelry brands.

The history of the Kurfürstendamm

The name Kurfürstendamm goes back to its creation in the mid-16th century as a causeway/horse trail for the electors into the Grunewald. At the request of Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, it became Kurfürstendamm in 1886 – a boulevard over 50 meters wide with theaters, cafés and stores, modeled after Paris. In the 1920s, Kurfürstendamm was the center of the New West, where poets, journalists and intellectuals met in one of the famous cafés. Finally, during the division of Berlin, Ku’damm was the “shop window” of the West, with showcases displaying the latest merchandise.

After reunification, Kurfürstendamm lost some of its historic vibrancy as nightlife gradually shifted to some districts in eastern Berlin. Many of the long-established cafés, restaurants and cinemas were forced to close. But in recent years, with the new Zoo Palast and the Bikini, a revitalization of Ku’damm began, which has now become a very elegant shopping mile. And last but not least, it should be mentioned that Kurfürstendamm is also worth a stroll for those interested in architecture. There is hardly any other street in Berlin where you can see such a rapid and interesting change of historical and modern buildings as on Ku’damm.