Top secret E German bunker open for short time (Huge underground facility; photos and video avail.)

Euronews / various others ^ | August 1, 2008

[Stoat]

Holidaymakers feeling nostalgic for the Cold War can now tour what was once a top secret bunker in the former East Germany.

Opened to the public for the first time on Friday, it was meant to house the ruling Communist elite in the event of a nuclear attack.

Something some visitors said they were relieved was no longer a concern:

“What goes through my mind is that it is quite nice to stand around here, look at the bunker and talk to each other peacefully,” one man said.

Close to the size of a football field, the bunker was designed to function as a command centre and also as shelter for up to four hundred people for two weeks.

“This is where the East German Defence Council and their chief Erich Honecker would have had to decontaminate themselves, if they came to the bunker after an atomic attack,” Hannes Hensel from the Bunker 5001 club said.

But this relic of the Communist regime will only be open to the public for the next two months.

To deter intruders searching for momentos, the bunker will be sealed permanently in October.

[Stoat]

Video available at the Euronews site

euronews Top secret E German bunker open for short time

and a different video is available from the BBC

BBC NEWS World Europe Honecker's nuclear bunker opens

 

Bunker of former East German leaders open to public Lifestyle Living Reuters

 

An engine room inside the so-called 'Honecker Bunker' is pictured in Prenden some 50 kilometres north of the German capital Berlin, August 1, 2008.

 

Journalists enter the so-called 'Honecker Bunker' is pictured in Prenden some 50 kilometers north of the German capital Berlin, August 1, 2008.

 

A typing room inside the so-called 'Honecker Bunker' is pictured in Prenden some 50 kilometers north of the German capital Berlin, August 1, 2008.

 

A sleeping room inside the so-called 'Honecker Bunker' is pictured in Prenden some 50 kilometers north of the German capital Berlin, August 1, 2008.

*****************************************************************

SIXTEEN more photos in a slideshow are available here....I didn't post them because they appear to be AP photos which I understand are banned at Free Republic

Former top-secret East German bunker opens to the public - Yahoo! News Photos

 

*****************************************************************

This has turned out to be "Lost bunker" week!  Readers of this thread may also be interested in this FR post from earlier today:

Sea unearths secret Nazi bunkers that lay hidden for more than 50 years

As well as this article about a bunker found in Great Britain used to protect workmen

‘Lost’ WWII Cammell Laird bunkers found by workmen - Liverpool Echo.co.uk

WORKMEN today told how they accidentally unearthed one of the UK’s biggest World War II bunkers.

 

 

and also this thread from 2006, which is made particularly special by at least a couple of FReeprs who went to this site after reading about it and then reported on what they saw in the thread!

Nazis' secret base found (Omaha Beach battery contains 40 buildings untouched since D-Day)

[Stoat]

MORE ‘lost’ bunkers found! :-)

[The KG9 Kid]

Looks like a map from DOOM3.

[frithguild]

Communist bunkers are clearly inferior to OUR bunkers:

From the Greenbrier website:

Construction began in 1958 on the 112,544-square-foot bunker, which was built 720 feet into the hillside under The Greenbrier's West Virginia Wing.

Once complete in 1961, the facility was maintained in a constant state of readiness by a small group of government employees working undercover as Forsythe Associates, a company hired by the resort for audio/visual support services.

January - March 2008 Tours offered daily at 1:30 p.m. April - October 2008 Tours offered daily at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. November - December 2008 Tours offered daily at 1:30p.m. Tours will be adjusted during holiday periods. Please call the Bunker Office, 304-536-7810, for holiday and winter schedules. Rates & Reservations $30 per adult $15 per child (ages 10-18) For reservations, call the Reservations Department 800-624-6070 or the Bunker Office 304-536-7810, or email the_greenbrier@greenbrier.com. Credit card number will be recorded at the time of the reservation.

[indcons]

Great pics...thanks for your efforts, Stoat.

[Stoat]

Looks like a map from DOOM3.

Fortunately in this case, 'most' of the baddies appear to have either died, reintegrated into German society or slinked off into the shadows......

[Stoat]

Communist bunkers are clearly inferior to OUR bunkers:

We would not only have kicked their Commie asses, we would have been far more comfy while doing it  :-)

Ours is even wheelchair accessible!

Handicapped Accessibility

With the exception of the decontamination area and the lower level of the power plant, the bunker tour route is wheelchair accessible. (The decontamination area can be by passed. Benches are available for waiting if one chooses not to go down the 25 steps in the lower level of the power plant.)

Bunker Tour The Greenbrier America's Resort since 1778.

[Stoat]

Great pics...thanks for your efforts, Stoat.

You're quite welcome, and thank you so much for your kind and gracious words  :-)

I'm delighted to learn that you've found it to be worthwhile  :-)

[frithguild]

The Bunker was kept hidden in plain sight:

As a part of the Bunker’s recent renovations, The Greenbrier added five meeting rooms ranging from 670-730 square feet. The rooms, Knowland, Johnson, Rayburn, Stewart and Martin, were named for the leaders of the House and Senate and the Architect of the Capitol when the project began in 1956. Looking for a nontraditional meeting space or event location? The Greenbrier can assist with hosting parties in the Bunker using a James Bond, M*A*S*H or spy themes.

Meetings have played an integral role in the bunker story since its completion in 1962. Part of the cover story for the facility was the addition of the Exhibit Hall and two meeting rooms, which were made available to groups meeting at The Greenbrier.

During the 30 years that the bunker was a secret, groups were meeting there and enjoying theme parties and dinners, without realizing they were in a top-secret government facility. They never realized that the Exhibit Hall was actually designed to be the work place for Congressional staff or that the Mountaineer Room and Governor’s Hall would easily accommodate the US Senate and House of Representatives.

[Stoat]

WOW...fascinating information, thank you so much!

During the 30 years that the bunker was a secret, groups were meeting there and enjoying theme parties and dinners, without realizing they were in a top-secret government facility. They never realized that the Exhibit Hall was actually designed to be the work place for Congressional staff or that the Mountaineer Room and Governor’s Hall would easily accommodate the US Senate and House of Representatives.

Although of course it would 'probably' be helpful to retain some semblance of Government during a nuclear aftermath (although many Congressmen and Senators would likely lose interest when their paychecks and perks stop coming), I think that our Nation would be FAR better served overall by having a bunker for FReepers, so that some SANE people who are true Patriots might survive and be able to make the country even better than before   :-)

[dfwgator]

Top secret E German bunker open for short time

Will Nick Rivers be there?

[Stoat]

Will Nick Rivers be there?

LMAO

I'm embarassed to say that I had to look up that pop-culture reference, but because it seems to be well-received by critics and viewers I will probably end up renting it....thanks very much  :-)

Top Secret! (1984)

[BBell]

Funny movie! It bombed though. Skeet Surfing USA.

[tommythev]

Will Nick Rivers be there?

Let's go skeet surfing!!!

[daler]

The East German national anthem in the movie was priceless...unfortunately, I don’t remember the words.

[indcons]

Thanks for the ping, Stoat.

All - my apologies for not reactivating the ping list after relocating to TN. Have been around on FR - just not working on the ping list. Sorry - and I promise to be more regular henceforth.

On a related note - the ping list is popular enough that we could use a ping list co-manager. Any volunteers? Please send me a FReepmail. Thanks so much in advance.

[potlatch]

Interesting stuff!

[devolve]

.

Thanks potlatch -

Deep

Very deep!

[potlatch]

I went to the article but didn’t see how DEEP it was.

[devolve]

.

Germany is full of underground complexes

There are German WWII jets buried under commerical airfields that are in use