The Kaufhaus des Westens has more than 1 million products in its range, 60,000 in the famous food court alone. You don’t “need” any of that, says KadeWe boss André Maeder. How and why things are still sold – he talks about this in the podcast “ Eine Runde Berlin” with Tagesspiegel editor Ann-Kathrin Hipp.
About luxury, dreams, pink flamingo chairs and a life-size Lord Voldemort. Also on the topic: his rather unusual career (from training as a retail salesman in a small sports shop to here), department stores as meeting places, Berlin as a source of inspiration, fashion (“In Berlin, not everything has to fit together”) and a car-free Tauentzien.
Regarding the latter, Maeder says: “I’m not against that. You would then have to see that buses and taxis can continue and that the side streets are easy to drive on. If everything is guaranteed… I think Hamburg did it quite well. The Jungfernstieg is car-free, but has all the open entrances on the left and right. And then I think it’s doable.”
You can listen to all Berlin rounds here:
Episode 1: A round of Berlin with Jens Bisky – journalist and author of the bestseller “Berlin: Biography of a Great City”
Episode 2: A round of Berlin with Katleen Kirsch – head counter woman in the Berlin cult pub “Zum Hecht”
Episode 3: A round of Berlin with Matthias Rohde – frontman of the Berlin band “Von Wegen Lisbeth”
Episode 4: A round of Berlin with Mo Asumang – author and documentary filmmaker
Episode 5: A round of Berlin with Günther Krabbenhöft – Berlin’s oldest hipster
Episode 6: A round of Berlin with Deniz Yücel – journalist and author
Episode 7: A round of Berlin with Joy Denalane – soul singer
Episode 8: A round of Berlin with Kevin Kühnert – SPD politician
Episode 9: A round of Berlin with Engelbert Lütke Daldrup – FBB airport boss
Episode 10: A round of Berlin with Ingo Bauer – lives on the streets
Episode 11: A round of Berlin with Theresa Brückner – digital pastor
Episode 12: A round of Berlin – an attempt at a positive review of the year
Episode 13: A round of Berlin with Idil Baydar – cabaret artist
Episode 14: A round of Berlin with Melanie Baier – intensive care nurse
Episode 15: A round of Berlin with Stefan Conen – criminal defense attorney
Episode 16: A round of Berlin with Sophia Hoffmann – cook and activist
Episode 17: A round of Berlin with Megaloh – rapper
Episode 18: A round of Berlin with Franziska Giffey – top candidate of the Berlin SPD
Episode 19: A round of Berlin with Kai Wegner – top candidate of the Berlin CDU
Episode 20: A round of Berlin with Bettina Jarasch – top candidate of the Berlin Greens
Episode 21: A round of Berlin with Sebastian Czaja – top candidate of the Berlin FDP
Episode 22: A round of Berlin with Klaus Lederer – top candidate of the Berlin left
Episode 23: A (history) round in Berlin with Sven Heinemann – SPD MP in Berlin and author
Episode 24: A (cab) lap in Berlin with Dirk Schieritz – train driver on the Berlin S-Bahn
Episode 25: A round of Berlin with Wolfgang Bahro – GZSZ veteran in his role as Jo Gerner
Episode 26: A round of Berlin with Anas Modamani – the man from the Merkel selfie
Episode 28: A round of Berlin with Felix Kroos – ex-soccer professional
Episode 29: A round of Berlin with Leonie Jenning and Martha Mechow – theater directors at the Volksbühne
Episode 30: A round of Berlin with Danger Dan – musicians
Episode 31: A round of Berlin with Lorenz Maroldt – Editor-in-Chief of the Tagesspiegel
27 stations, 60 minutes, 1 guest: where better to talk and argue about Berlin, where to love Berlin more than on the Ringbahn – the Berlin microcosm on rails? Once a month, Ann-Kathrin Hipp from the “Tagesspiegel Checkpoint” takes on a topic, takes a Berliner with her and drives around the Ring.
