The 1950s are generally regarded as the decade of the 'economic miracle' in the Federal Republic of Germany. As the mastermind behind the currency reform and the first Minister of Economics, Ludwig Erhard set the course for this. Erhard's propagated maxim of "prosperity for all" applied, and the "social market economy" was introduced as the new economic order. In addition, there was full employment and private purchasing power increased from the mid-1950s. As a result, consumption increased significantly and more and more working people were able to afford furniture, electrical appliances, cars and travel. The mass production of previously unaffordable items such as radios, televisions and washing machines did the rest, making such consumer goods affordable for the broad masses of the population. The late phase of the 'economic miracle' saw the opening of the Hertie department store at the northern end of Porschestraße in 1960. In the still unfinished city center, the Hertie department store was the first and only full-range department store in Wolfsburg to act as a magnet for the Wolfsburg population and customers from the region.
A plot of land at the end of the main shopping street was available on all sides for the construction of the department store. To the west of the department store, a shopping street was planned as a shortcut between the station and Porschestraße. The size of the plot allowed for a building that was divided into three distinct sections. The part of the building with the curved roof housed the food department. The middle, slightly higher section was used for the general sales departments. The northern section was used as a furniture and furnishing store. With the exception of the food department, the building was clad with a variety of ceramic materials. The architect of the building, Hans Soll, was of the opinion that he had designed a type of department store similar to those found in rural areas in the USA. With 65,000 cubic meters of enclosed space, the Hertie department store was the largest commercial building in the 22-year-old city to date. It was only decades later that the City-Galerie set new standards.
On November 18, 1960, on the eve of the actual opening of the building, representatives of the city, the Volkswagen factory and the local business community were invited to a preview. Lord Mayor Dr. Uwe-Jens Nissen and City Director Dr. Wolfgang Hesse wished the Hertie management a successful business development. Dr. Nissen described the new department store as a "driving force for the Wolfsburg economy", which would also attract people from the hinterland. With an initial workforce of 540, Hertie was the third largest employer in Wolfsburg after the Volkswagen plant and the city. The disproportionately high number of jobs for women was particularly welcome in Wolfsburg. In his speech, Hertie board member Baumeister pointed out that the establishment of the Hertie department store would benefit the local bricks-and-mortar retail trade as a whole, based on experience elsewhere. There was a huge crowd on the opening day for the public. People crowded in front of the shop windows and in the department store itself "hardly an apple could fall to the ground", as was reported in the Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung on November 19/20, 1960.
In the more than 40 years of its existence in Wolfsburg, the Hertie department store experienced good times at first and then rather bad times towards the end. In its heyday at the beginning of the 1970s, Hertie employed over 800 staff and also stood for quality service to its customers. Special promotions on various occasions offered the opportunity to promote the department store intensively. Of particular importance were the two anniversary weeks in spring 1982 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Hertie department store group. The promotional program ranged from short- and long-term offers in all categories to a tapestry, porcelain and pearl show to public events, theater, video screenings, music group performances, historical costumes, fashions, weaving and artist attractions.
Large stores on the outskirts of the city and the outflow of purchasing power to neighbouring towns such as Braunschweig led to rationalization measures at Hertie in Wolfsburg in the following years, which were accompanied by staff cuts. At the beginning of 1985, Hertie only had 434 employees. According to the management, the department store had to adapt to changing market conditions. Not only was Wolfsburg's population stagnating, but consumer markets on greenfield sites were also creating tough competition. Slowly but steadily, Hertie began to decline, interrupted only briefly by the opening of the GDR border in 1989. The parent company made hardly any further investments in the Wolfsburg store. A fundamental refurbishment, which was actually necessary to bring the presentation of goods up to date, was also not carried out. The inexorable decline took place in installments: First the upper floor closed, then other areas followed. The final end came after the opening of the City-Galerie in 2001. The resulting loss of sales could no longer be compensated for. On August 29, 2003, Hertie closed for good. Many Wolfsburg residents found it difficult to say goodbye to the traditional department store.
After the closure, both Kaufland and the Designer Outlet Center were interested in the former Hertie complex, but several new buildings for retail and services were built in 2005 as a result of the urban redevelopment of the northern end of Porschestrasse; the building was completely demolished except for the former food department. Following the necessary structural adaptation measures, this part served as a market hall, which, however, was not accepted to the extent hoped for and therefore soon had to close again. The building then stood empty for several years.
In 2013, the city of Wolfsburg initiated an ideas competition to put the building to good use again, whereupon the market hall was used as the "Haltestelle" youth club for two years in 2015 following a council proposal by the SPD. A year later, the Pomodoro Rosso restaurant also moved in, while the Asian snack bar on the first floor closed after seven years of operation.
On September 27, 2017, the Wolfsburg City Council and its project partners Volkswagen AG and VfL Wolfsburg then decided to set up a digital laboratory at Nordkopf. Two years later, the conversion of the market hall, which formerly housed the food department, into a "space for digital ideas" began. After completion, the programming school 42Wolfsburg and the coworking space Schiller40 moved in alongside the coffee shop Wayne's Coffee. Shortly afterwards, the building and its new users were awarded the title "Digitaler Ort Niedersachsen" by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization. 42Wolfsburg is currently taking in refugees from Ukraine and Russian dissidents and is trying to offer them scholarships and financial support.
