Kaufhaus Gerngross

Gerngross is a retail center situated in the seventh district of Neubau in Vienna, at Mariahilfer Straße 42–48. Gerngross Kaufhaus AG functions as the department store’s proprietor. A diverse assortment of retail establishments, such as Wolford, Bandolera, Billy Jeans, Wolford, and Esprit, are spread across five floors.A Merkur supermarket is situated on the lower level.

A portion of the fifth floor is occupied by the Saturn electronics store, which is situated on the fourth floor.Fifth floor is the location of the dining court.The Japanese restaurant Akakiko is unquestionably noteworthy.During the summer, the rooftop terrace of Gerngross offers an awe-inspiring panorama of the city.

Due to the fact that the restaurants and bars situated on the fifth floor are accessible via a distinct lift, they remain operational beyond the typical operating hours of the retail center.Since February 2020, the BURN-IN gallery has been operational in Gerngross.

There, one may encounter contemporary art exhibitions.The Museum Quarter is among the numerous cultural institutions and attractions in the vicinity.

Sales areas

The department store offers patrons a wide selection of merchandise, which is conveniently organized throughout its five levels. The Neubaugasse station’s basement has been provided with direct access as part of the U3 metro line’s construction. A Billa Plus supermarket is situated in that vicinity. The perfume and women’s departments, which carry renowned brands such as Marionnaud, MAC Cosmetics, Clinique, Wolford, and Billy Jeans, are located on the ground floor of the store. The first floor houses an assortment of fashion merchandise from esteemed brands including Zara, Esprit, Tom Tailor, Gortz, Betty Barclay, Desigual, Passport, and Bandolera. Additionally, Triumph undergarments are also available for purchase. The children’s department and handicraft supplies are both located on the second floor. A selection of sports articles from Sports Experts are exclusively showcased on the third floor. In contrast, the fourth and a portion of the fifth floors are devoted to Media Markt. The fifth floor houses the catering department as well as the Japanese restaurant Akakiko. If the weather permits, the rooftop coffee house is accessible throughout the summer and offers awe-inspiring panoramic vistas of the city. It is possible to enter the restaurants and bars located on the top level subsequent to the closure of the shops. Visitors may utilize a distinct elevator located at the main entrance on Mariahilfer Straße to access these establishments until the wee hours of the night.

History

Alfred Abraham Gerngross, a trader trained by Herzmansky and born in Forth near Nuremberg, established a fabric store on September 26, 1908. Together with his younger brother Hugo (1857–1929), Alfred founded the store in 1879. The store was located at 48 Mariahilfer Strasse, which was Kirchengasse’s corner. After a brief dispute between him and August Herzmansky, his previous employer, the two businesses made an effort to work together. Nevertheless, the association was dissolved in 1881 as a result of its futile attempts. As a result of its ongoing success, the business progressively bought 13 nearby homes. Following a conversion of the business in 1883, the store expanded to become Vienna’s biggest department store. Later on, it grew to become the monarchy’s biggest department store.

Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, collectively known as Fellner & Helmer, built a contemporary five-story concrete structure on Mariahilfer Strasse between 1902 and 1904.Fellner’s son Ferdinand III created the external façade. There was one escalator and five elevators in the building. After Alfred Gerngross passed away, his sons Albert (1874–1972), Robert (1876–1942 in the Shoa), and Paul (1880–1954) took over the business. They changed it into a stock corporation called A. Gerngross A.=G. on December 22, 1911. Under this name, the company started doing business, as seen in the picture “Gerngross Wien Reklame 1912”. About 1600 people worked for the department store in its heyday. The building’s unique crown was built in 1926 when a lighthouse was erected to the top.

The National Socialists began attacking the department store in the early 1930s for political reasons. One similar incident happened in 1932, right before Christmas.On December 18, 1932, a busy department shop was forcibly entered by a group of National Socialists during Golden (Shopping) Sunday. They then started throwing stink bombs and tear gas, which made the shoppers extremely afraid. Sadly, many people were hurt as a result of this tumultuous scenario.

The Gerngross family was forced to leave their home after the Anschluss in 1938 and sought safety in Montevideo, where they eventually immigrated. There was a “Aryanization” operation at the department store. In Vienna, the department store is now known as Ludwig & Co. Following the end of World War II, the mansion sustained significant damage and was targeted for theft. But it was rebuilt quickly enough. Paul Gerngross went back to Vienna in 1947 and used the restitution process to effectively take back ownership of the business.After a member of the Gerngross family passed away in 1954, the shares were sold to the Hertie Group in 1957.The Luxembourg-based corporation General Shopping purchased Gerngross in 1965. Following then, Gerngross grew by establishing more locations in Vienna, including Floridsdorf Am Spitz, and other Austrian cities, such as EKZ Gerngross in Klagenfurt.

After receiving a state award in 1978, the corporation has been allowed to use the federal coat of arms in its business dealings, a privilege it has continued to enjoy.

A new structure created by Adolf Wölzl took the place of a portion of the main building on December 14, 1966. A large fire broke out on February 7, 1979, during the removal of an escalator as part of redevelopment efforts. The building sustained significant damage, almost being destroyed, as a result of the welding activity that started the fire.The structure needed to have several significant portions removed. Georg Frankl, the architect, created the new structure, which was inaugurated on March 18, 1980.A prohibition on night work was imposed in 1981 as a result of multiple complaints about noise from building during the night.

Gerngross and Herzmansky were acquired by Konsum Österreich, a cooperative firm, on January 1, 1984. When Konsum declared bankruptcy in 1995, a group led by Palmers (75%) and Hans Schmid (the founder of GGK advertising agency, 25%) acquired ownership of the Gerngross company in 1996. In 1997, they then managed the department store’s conversion into the Gerngross CityCenter. On February 27, 1997, the store reopened and implemented a shop-in-shop model. It currently has a large 30,000 m2 sales space that is divided into seven levels. There are sixteen escalators in the home now, along with a stunning glass dome. On January 3rd, the Gerngross property was sold to Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH for a total of 1.2004 million euros, due to the lack of anticipated business success. Conversely, from at least 2006, Hans Schmid and his family foundation have held both direct and indirect ownership of the Steffl department store property.

A report published on December 2, 2005 by WirtschaftsBlatt stated that S Immo had acquired the majority of Gerngross Kaufhaus AG. The Steffl and former Herzmansky department shops, which were held by the Palmers Group, were acquired as part of this deal.The statement is untrue because Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH is still the owner of the property.

The owner decided to remodel and reconstruct the home in 2005. They conducted an architectural competition in order to achieve this, and the Graz-based office LOVE architecture and urbanism emerged victorious. On January 11, 2010, the renovations got underway while business as usual continued.The entire amount invested is forty million euros.Since October 21, 2010, Gerngross has changed, adding new brands, modernizing the architecture, and changing its appearance.

Vienna, Austria