Städtisches Kaufhaus

The Municipal Department Store is a former exhibition hall in Leipzig city center, it was built by the architects Rayher, Korber and Müller in the years 1894 to 1901 in three phases.

Prehistory

The complex reflects how hard to resist another land and culture monument in the center of Leipzig, Leipzig more than 500 years of trade and cultural history. In the years 1477 to 1498 the Late Gothic Gewandhaus was built on Gewandgäßchen and University Street in L-shape. An Imperial Exhibition privilege of 1497 the importance of trade and exhibition venue in Leipzig and thus also of the Gewandhaus, which was comparable in size to the famous Cloth Hall grew. The show was then a mere commodities fair, ie the exhibited goods were traded on the spot. Dating back to the Cloth Guild Gewandhaus Orchestra had its seat in the Gewandhaus. In Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe 1781 established classical Gewandhaus hall at the University road, on which today still remembers a plaque in the baroque staircase of the town store, made ​​music major artists such as Mozart ( 12 May 1789), Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Liszt. In the rear foyer of today's Gewandhaus is a detailed model of the old concert hall.

A part of the Gewandhaus had to give then to at least nearly 250 years when it was built at the Gewandgäßchen in the years 1740 to 1744 according to plans by Friedrich Dorff Rare Baroque city library. Parts of this building are preserved in today's urban department store. By converting one floor of the library to the exhibition purposes in 1893 the development of the town store began. Background of the renovation was the change in the fair by a Fair to sample fair - the industrial, that is, in series, manufactured products were there presented to dealers as samples and ordered on this basis, ie delivered later. At the Michaelmas fair in August / September 1894, the remodeled rooms were taken into use. This new pattern measurement Local proven itself so well that afterwards the construction of the town store the first sample fair building (probably the world since the Leipzig Trade Fair was of inspiration for other fairs in Germany and Europe) was launched.

Construction and alteration

First, the City Library in 1894 a total rebuilt. Following then the Concert Hall of the Gewandhaus was stopped and erected in its place a neo-baroque building. Finally, the parts of the building were built on the Kupfergasse. The finely proportioned forms of neo-baroque facade of the town store, in the alternation of light sandstone elements and plaster surfaces, are inspired by the baroque facade of the style-defining through conversion and extension of the Municipal Department Store Public Library.

In the urban department store was the first time the principle of forced circulation, namely, realized around the large courtyard and two atriums. Following this example, most of the other exhibition buildings were erected, which significantly shape the Leipzig cityscape today. In contrast to the simpler, often influenced neoclassical facades of the other exhibition buildings, however, the facade of the town store is much more colorful. The appearance is reminiscent of Mediterranean city palace. A notable detail is the located in the stairwell A passenger elevator from 1901, which in reconstructed form the oldest elevator in Leipzig today.

When the bombing of 1943 was also the Municipal department store, how many adjacent buildings, such as the Opera House, heavily damaged. In the years 1948-1956 (figures vary) found a partial reconstruction of the southern part of the building instead. Around the mid 1980s, a fundamental reconstruction of the north wing ( former city library) was started, but interrupted by the political change in 1989.

Rehabilitation and present appearance

After the reunification in 1990, the Municipal Department Store 1992/1993 was sold to August Anno hunting field. Unlike other projects, such as the Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin or the resort in Heiligendamm, he took over this property in his private capacity, rather than to place it on the fundus group as a closed-end fund. The building was 1993 ( planning application ) to 1996 ( completion) thoroughly renovated over the years. In addition to the beautiful courtyard to call as a special attraction, the location on the page to university road created by Carl Seffner 2.20 meters high bronze statue of the emperor Maximilian I., who erected to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the awarding of the imperial trade privileges in 1897 been.

From the perspective of today's use of the name " Municipal department store " misleading insofar as it houses not a department store, but a mix of retail and restaurant space and office space. The letting it initially sluggish. In 2005, an underground garage and a function room were opened in the basement of the object.

On 26 August 2005, the Street of Stars was opened in the Municipal department store. This from the " Leipzig Tourist Service " designed exhibition includes hand casts and personal belongings of prominent personalities from politics (eg Hinrich Lehmann-Grube ), culture (eg, Kurt Masur, Herbert Blomstedt ), sports (eg Michael Schumacher, Franziska van Almsick, Max Schmeling ) and the entertainment business (eg, Mariah Carey, Thomas Gottschalk ). In 2009, the exhibition has been removed.

From the winter semester 2005/2006 to the summer semester 2009 the Municipal department store also housed the interim auditorium of the University of Leipzig. Since the end of 2009 also involved the public library during the two -year conversion period as interim the Municipal department store.