The history of C&A department stores brought to life
The exhibition MAßSTÄBLICH shows a selection of the more than one hundred architectural models from the Draiflessen Collection, from which the C&A department stores in Berlin, Hamburg, Essen, Celle and Frankfurt am Main are examined in more detail. Historical photographs of the first C&A stores, which were built before the Second World War, provide an introduction to the history. This is juxtaposed with the model of the mixed-use complex Alea 101, designed in 2009 by the architectural firm Sauerbruch Hutton, which was built on the site where the so-called C&A flagship store in Berlin's Königstraße once stood. Most of the other models date from the 1970s to the 1990s and were designed by Ric Stiens. In an interview, the architect talks about the history of the buildings, making it particularly tangible. Another highlight are the photographs specially commissioned for the exhibition and the book by the renowned photographer Hans Georg Esch, who also has his say. Thomas Höxtermann, Managing Director of Nattler Architekten, describes the importance of models in today's practice. It was not least thanks to his initiative that the exhibition project was launched. Architectural models help to convince or even inspire clients, users, tenants and - last but not least - the public. They promote a design idea, create atmosphere and can convey complicated contexts in a clear and tangible way. Models themselves are also fascinating as miniature worlds with their unique character. While they were originally a means of visualizing a possible, built future, they now represent, as stand-ins and historical testimonies, a state of construction that in part no longer exists. The architectural model is far more than a mere working tool - it is both a blueprint for the future and an artifact of times past.

The exhibition MAßSTÄBLICH was on display for the first time at the Draiflessen Collection from 15.05.2024?20.10.2024. In October, the accompanying publication appeared with photographic material from the company's own archive as well as photographs by HGEsch and scientific articles on the company's history, department store architecture and model making.

The Draiflessen Collection in Mettingen, Westphalia, home to the Brenninkmeijer family and company collection, houses over one hundred architectural models. Most of them show C&A department stores and originate from the architectural firm Nattler in Essen, formerly E. A. Gärtner/Ric Stiens. In the course of the decades-long collaboration between C&A and the Essen office, over 170 department stores have been planned and built since the 1950s, some of which have been converted several times and some of which have already been converted or demolished. The selection of models and photographs in the exhibition illustrates how architecture has changed over the decades, how it has shaped city centers, but also how it has adapted to urban planning conditions.

Continuity in cooperation
On January 1, 1841, the brothers Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer laid the foundations for the company C&A Brenninkmeijer in Sneek, the Netherlands, which is still active internationally today. At the end of the 19th century, the company expanded under the sons into the major Dutch cities with several branches. Finally, in 1911, the first branch opened in Germany on Königstrasse in Berlin - the center of ready-to-wear production.
The continuity of the successful collaboration between C&A Brenninkmeijer and today's architectural firm Nattler began in the early 20th century with the architect Sepp Kaiser (1872-1936), who was responsible for the first 20 department stores in Germany. In the 1930s, Ernst August Gärtner (1905-1983) joined the firm and quickly became its head. From 1948, Gärtner, now based in Essen (Ruhr), resumed work for C&A. Together with Ric Stiens (*1930) - but especially under his later sole management - numerous other new buildings and conversions are created, which have been continued under the name Nattler Architekten since 1994.

The Draiflessen Collection
In 2009, the entrepreneurial Brenninkmeijer family founded Draiflessen in their Westphalian home town of Mettingen. In addition to a modern conference center, a museum designed to the highest international standards, the Draiflessen Collection, with presentation areas for top-class exhibitions and state-of-the-art archive and storage rooms, was built on the former production site. The museum offers visitors three different areas: The main exhibition area "Main Space" with changing presentations of artistic works and international loans, the study room with the Liberna Collection and exhibitions from the outstanding holdings of book art and graphic art with a focus on the 15th and 17th centuries, and DAS Forum as a platform for interdisciplinary research, which presents insights into the scientific work of the family and company archive.