Six places for concentrated shopping pleasure

Exclusive shopping arcades

Be it the Passage des Panoramas in Paris or the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan - in many a European metropolis, shopping arcades are almost as attractive as famous buildings or museums. Cleverly designed, they score double points and derive their charm not only from the mix of stores, but also from their architecture and ambience. Especially in a city like Düsseldorf. On the one hand, the shopping scene here impresses with its diversity and offers just as much space for the traditional designer brand as it does for the popular lifestyle store. On the other hand, urban planners have repeatedly succeeded in integrating historic buildings into innovative neighborhood design. And now that autumn is approaching and the days are getting wetter, a canopy can only lift the shopping mood. Or how about a stop at one of the many restaurants that will spoil you with culinary delights in Düsseldorf's shopping arcades? Just take a stroll! 

Kö Gallery 

There is hardly a European address for luxury shopping that is better known than the Königsallee. And so it is almost in the nature of things that there are also some very exclusive shopping arcades here. First and foremost: the Kö Galerie. Düsseldorf architect Walter Brune, who is also responsible for the Schadow Arkaden (scroll down to find out more), designed it in the 1980s along the lines of the 19th century Italian "gallerie commerciali": four passages lead up to a 25-metre-high atrium, with escalators connecting the three floors. The glass dome, the marble used, the names of Düsseldorf personalities on memorial plaques set into the floor - from Gustaf Gründgens to Paul Klee: all of this breathes history and is in the best Kö tradition. The exclusivity continues with the stores. Hackett London, Gant, Lacoste, Aigle and van Laack have found a home on a total of 20,000 square meters, as have Samsonite, Hut Couture M/V and the Japanese lifestyle retailer Muji. The Karl Lagerfeld, Brunello Cucinelli and Jil Sander stores on the Kö-Front are harbingers of exquisite taste. Vis-à-vis, the terrace of Ristorante Barolo is a tempting spot for Kö spotting.    

Sevens 

In the immediate vicinity and now directly connected to the Kö Galerie thanks to a breakthrough: Sevens. Two shopping arcades so close together, does that make sense? The answer is yes. Because Sevens focuses on a mix of lifestyle, fashion, technology and gastronomy. The shopping center, which opened at the turn of the millennium, was originally planned as a themed department store - one theme per floor, hence the name. If you walk into the large, open hall today, you will find names such as Emporio Armani, Philipp Plein and Peserico on the first floor, as well as Inglot Cosmetics and Chanel Beauté. Anchor tenant Saturn resides on the upper five floors. The eye-catcher of the Seven, a 1.2-ton LED sphere that floats above the heads of visitors, is a fitting addition. It was the highlight of the German pavilion at the Expo in Shanghai. Culinary international understanding is practiced in the food lounge in the basement. From the Aloha Bowl with salmon, teriyaki sesame, avocado and mango to the "Premium Döner" and burrito to lamb with pine nuts and taboulé - you'll be spoiled for choice here at over ten food stands. The latest addition to Sevens is the Spacewalk sneaker store with a range that starts with Nike and doesn't end with Offwhite, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton.  

stilwerk 

Like Sevens, stilwerk on Grünstraße, just a few steps away from the Kö, is a child of the turn of the millennium. Perhaps some of you still remember the wave pool (!) that used to be here. After its demolition, an imposing 32-metre-high building with a glass front and a glass roof that can be opened on nice days was built on the same site. Inside: an elliptical atrium around which the greats of interior design are presented in more than 30 of their own stores on five gallery floors and 17,000 square meters. From Kartell, Ligne Roset and SieMatic to Bang & Olufsen, NØYE living and Fatboy. The list of brands represented at stilwerk is even longer: Knoll, Muuto and Thonet are just some of the illustrious names. Are you looking for a bed or just a vase, are you planning a new kitchen or are you interested in the properties of parquet flooring? Come by. Pop-up stores and temporary exhibitions and events are also a constant source of inspiration.   

Girardethaus  

We return to the Kö, but switch to the so-called bank side. However, this description is no longer accurate, as a change has taken place here on the west side of Königsallee in recent years: Banks have left and retailers are using the space that has been created. The French luxury brand Hermès took the plunge across the Kö-Graben back in 2014 and set up a new "Maison" in the Girardethaus on the corner of Trinkausstraße, covering a generous 350 square meters. The Girardethaus, which was built in 1909 and is a listed building, has since traded under the name WZ-Center. Newspapers were printed here in the courtyard until the 1970s. When the printing presses were relocated, an exclusive shopping arcade was created. Now the Swiss brand Akris has its Düsseldorf flagship store here and contributes elegant understatement in the form of clear lines, perfect cuts and high-quality fabrics. Kaviar Gauche from Berlin is represented with its Bridal Concept Store: champagne-colored walls, an ivory floor, a stainless steel tree as the centerpiece, hung all over with handmade dresses and veils - a dream in white. On Trinkausstrasse you will find two more German design greats: Dorothee Schumacher and, on the other side of the street, Iris von Arnim. 

Schadow Arcades 

Did you know? Newspapers used to be printed in the Schadow Arkaden too - in this case it was the Rheinische Post. And in this case, too, an area that was once used for industrial purposes has been given an impressive new lease of life. Once again, Kö-Galerie creator Walter Brune had a hand in the design of the Schadow Arkaden, which opened in 1994, but Argentinian Op Art artist Julio Le Parc and ZERO legend Otto Piene also left their mark: the former with the seemingly floating glass cylinder above the entrance on the corner of Schadowstrasse and Blumenstrasse, the latter with the imposing glass dome in the center of the shopping gallery. Around 60 retailers present themselves here on around 17,000 square meters and three floors. They include names such as Esprit and Zara, as well as Repeat Cashmere, Oui, Gant, Roeckl and Bree. Menswear supplier Anson's resides on three floors with its multi-brand range. What you will also find: Cosmetics and care products from Mac, Sephora, L'Occitane, Parfümerie Schnitzler or The Body Shop and exquisite products from chocolatiers Läderach and Neuhaus. You can spend hours at A&O Medien with a great selection of vinyl. And if you feel hungry afterwards, there is a wide range of restaurants in the arcades. Or you can visit the Theater an der Kö in the basement. 

Kö-Bogen 

The Kö-Bogen is also a shopping destination - but of course it is much more than that: a modern landmark, comparable to the Gehry buildings in the MedienHafen, a gift for anyone who loves modern design and appreciates architectural superlatives. This is all the more true since the completion of Kö-Bogen II (also known as KII). But first things first: Kö-Bogen 1, a five-storey ensemble of buildings designed by New York star architect Daniel Libeskind, opened not quite ten years ago. Here, between the Kö and Hofgarten, where Düsseldorfers now stroll in front of a curved façade of glass and light-colored natural stone and take a break under the umbrellas of the local restaurants, was once one of the city's transport hubs. Shopping? Good today, because the Breuninger department store with its top-class range of fashion, leather goods, accessories and cosmetics is one of the Kö-Bogen's tenants, and the Apple Store also generates a lot of footfall. On the neighboring square between Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus and Schadowstraße, however, Kö-Bogen II, designed by Düsseldorf architects Ingenhoven, is now stealing the show. A market hall with an accessible green roof stands opposite a building planted with eight kilometers of hornbeam hedges. The greenery binds fine dust and acts as a natural air conditioning system - architecture of the future. 

Cover picture: Düsseldorf Tourismus