BIKINI BERLIN, which has been spectacularly reopened as a design hub complete with, amongst other draws, its own concept shopping mall, reflects the lifestyle of the hip German capital like no other building of historical importance.
The buzz surrounding Berlin is continuing unabated. This is attributed to the fact that the German capital is young, modern, multifaceted, tolerant and multicultural. The city has long been synonymous with trendy, young and established fashion labels, pioneering gastronomy concepts, historical sites, fascinating architecture, small galleries and museums of world renown. BIKINI BERLIN, the history-steeped building complex located opposite the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, also stands for all of these things and is successfully representing the heartbeat of the new Berlin.
Today, after a radical revitalisation, BIKINI BERLIN is an urban oasis with its finger very much on the pulse. The complex includes the legendary Zoo Palast cinema, an office high-rise, the 25hours design hotel and, of course, the Bikinihaus building, which, with a length of around 200 metres, forms the centrepiece of the listed architectural ensemble. This is where Germany’s first concept shopping mall can be found, home to a unique selection of boutiques, design and flagship stores, creative products and trendy eateries. The concept shopping mall’s developers attach the utmost importance to the meticulous curation of the stores and their offers – at Bikini Berlin you’ll be searching in vain for the big chain stores that can be found in other shopping centres. Instead, young fashion designers and new labels from all over the world are given the chance to present their creations here, alongside those of established brands and service providers. Thanks to the appealing stores and the BIKINI BERLIN BOXES, pop-up spaces which can be temporarily rented by independent businesses on the ground floor, numerous young businesses have taken the bold step of opening their first retail locations in Germany here. In addition to the stylish and minimal 17,000 m² of retail space, a 7500 m² rooftop terrace with views over Berlin’s famous Zoological Garden, home to more than 1400 different animal species, awaits the style-conscious international visitors.
The diversity of the trend metropolis Berlin is difficult to sum up in words. Each of the city’s districts conveys a different lifestyle, opens up new perspectives and deserves special attention. But experiencing them all takes time, something which the majority of visitors to Berlin have very little of. That’s one of the main reasons why BIKINI BERLIN, which reflects the very essence of the city, is becoming an increasingly popular tourist attraction.
Thanks to the urban redevelopment’s carefully considered planning, attention to detail and consistent concept, the developers of the new BIKINI BERLIN have succeeded in bringing together the attributes that make Berlin such a wonderful city in which to live. Just like the macrocosm of Berlin, the microcosm of BIKINI BERLIN is constantly reinventing itself. Lifestyle, architecture, design, shopping, culture, leisure and work all merge here, converging into one dynamic whole. Experiencing BIKINI BERLIN is to experience Berlin, understanding BIKINI BERLIN is to understand Berlin. Today, BIKINI BERLIN is far more than the former ‘shop window of the West’; it is much more the window of the reunified trend metropolis.
History of the building complex
Built in the 1950s to symbolise the rebirth of the demolished post-war West Berlin as a modern metropolis, the Zentrum am Zoo, which was known as the ‘shop window of the West’, soon established itself as a meeting place of West Berlin’s bohemia. In the following decades, and in particular after the reunification of Germany when the focus of interest shifted to the former East Berlin, the area around the Memorial Church and the Bahnhof Zoo railway station were forgotten about. With the reopening and ambitious renovation of the entire building ensemble, the area is once again coming into its own as a vibrant commercial and social attraction.
