It’s the inside (click!). A perfect example is this showroom opened in 1913 by the “Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft”. At the turn of the previous century Benz motor cars were sold by independent sales representatives. When the names “Benz” and later “Mercedes” became well known, showrooms were opened in cities like Paris, London, Berlin and New York. But as these were still owned by individuals, it was therefore in the interests of DMG to develop its own sales network. They needed a meeting point for interested -and appropriately wealthy- customers. DMG’s first showroom was located in Berlin at Unter den Linden 50/51. The Mercedes Palace, as the building soon came to be known, was an elegant piece of architecture, using high-quality materials and the latest technology. Three enormous display windows afforded a glimpse into the large showroom, where finished Mercedes cars stood next to the bare chassis of other Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft vehicles on sale. But the building’s key feature was its restaurant which rapidly became a focus of day-to-day life at the Mercedes Palace. Managed by the proprietor of the long-established Weinhaus Dressel, the restaurant’s exquisite cuisine and well-stocked wine cellar enjoyed the attentions of Berlin society. It was soon doing a roaring trade, which of course positively affected Mercedes sales. The building no longer belongs to DaimlerChrysler but still survives. (source Daimler AG)

September 27, 2007