Since the opening of the first building in 1911, C&A stores have shaped the image of German city centres - especially with the new buildings after the ­Second World War. Using selected examples from the extensive holdings of the Draiflessen Collection, this publication presents the history of these buildings and also focuses on the models and photographs themselves. The true-to-scale architectural miniatures - mostly from the 1970s to 1990s - were designed by the Essenbased architect Ric Stiens. Contributions by experts provide an insight into the development of the buildings from different perspectives as well as their architecturalhistorical significance and also look at the present day. The renowned architectural photographer HGEsch is responsible for the photographs of the models and some of the C&A buildings published in this ­exhibition catalogue.