Grevesmühlen's oldest department store: facade is secured - future uncertain!

Grevesmühlen's oldest department store: facade is secured - future uncertain!

In Grevesmühlen, a charming community in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, we are currently talking about a special property that is firmly anchored in the city's history. The oldest department store, a building from 1901, has been empty for some time, but now there is hope for a positive turnaround. Wobag, which acquired the historic building in 2024, is not wasting any time and is starting the necessary securing work on the facade. These are necessary because parts of the plaster have become loose and could fall onto the sidewalks, as Ostsee-Zeitung reports.

Philipp Schubert, assistant to the Wobag management, assures that demolishing the department store is not up for discussion. This gives the citizens of Grevesmühlen cause for hope. Wobag has also called on the public to submit ideas for the future use of the site. The department store's past as a shopping location was still very much alive until a few years ago, and it is important to revive this spirit in a new form.

The history of the department store

The department store was once a prime example of the development of retail in Germany. The Ramelow fashion store chain, which was founded in Klütz in 1872, opened a branch in Grevesmühlen in 1901. At its peak, Ramelow had 34 stores across Germany, but after the Second World War only three remained. The branches in the Soviet-occupied zone, to which Grevesmühlen belonged, were nationalized in 1949. Today there are still a few Ramelow locations, including in Buchholz, Elmshorn, Heide, Stendal and Uelzen, while the Grevesmühlener department store was the largest in the city until the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Grevesmühlen, which is geographically located 33 km east of Lübeck and 29 km northwest of Schwerin, belongs to the Hamburg metropolitan region and today has around 10,398 inhabitants. The name Grevesmühlen dates back to 1226, making the town one of the oldest in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It was the seat of the Northwest Mecklenburg district until 2011, before Wismar took over this role. Mayor Jürgen Ditz leads the city's fortunes with skill.

The future of department stores

However, the future of department stores in Germany does not look bright. The industry is struggling with insolvencies and is often viewed as an obsolete model. Historian Nadine Garling points out that department stores were popular attractions in the 19th century, where you could buy everything under one roof. But with the birth of malls and the rise of online shopping, the situation has changed dramatically. The former “cathedrals of modern commerce”, as the writer Émile Zola called them, are now often on the verge of closure or decay.NDR

But in Grevesmühlen a small glimmer of hope appears. Maybe we can bring the old department store back to life and lead it into the future. In any case, Wobag and the citizens are called upon to contribute their ideas. And it's important to have a good hand, because the history of the department store could only be the beginning of a new chapter.