Wertheim department stores is one of the largest retail chains in Germany. It was founded by Georg Wertheim.
The chain's most famous store, on Leipziger Platz in Berlin, was constructed in 1896. It featured 83 elevators and a glass-roofed atrium, and was one of the three largest department stores (Kaufhäuser) in Berlin, the others being Hermann Tietz and Kaufhaus des Westens. Brian Ladd called it “the crown jewel of the main shopping street." [1]
The company was subjected to the Nazi Aryanization policies in the 1930s. The Wertheim family attempted to avoid losing control of the company by making Georg's wife, Ursula, the principal shareholder, since she was considered "Aryan" under Nazi law.
Categories: [Germany] [Industry]