Passagen

Passagen is the plural form of the German noun die Passage, and is used generally to refer to enclosed or semi-enclosed urban passages that house shops and other facilities—often glass-roofed arcades. In architectural and urban-history contexts, passagen describe nineteenth- and early twentieth-century shopping galleries that connected streets and offered sheltered pedestrian routes within city centers. They emerged in many European cities as commercial and social spaces, contributing to street life while providing climate protection and a unified retail environment. The design often combined architectural ornament with retail variety, creating a corridor-like public space used for strolling, meeting, and shopping.

In cultural history, the concept of the passagen/arcade has been used as a focal point for discussions of modernity and consumer space. Walter Benjamin’s Das Passagen-Werk is a seminal, unfinished study that analyzes how arcades functioned as the nerve centers of urban modernity and consumer culture in the 19th century; the work has influenced later scholarship on urban space and capitalism. Today, the term Passagen remains part of German-language discussions of architecture and city planning, and it is also used in the names of specific shopping arcades or venues. Many historic passagen have been preserved or repurposed as cultural venues, offices, or residential spaces, while some have been renovated to accommodate contemporary retail.