Berlin authorities are preparing to demolish a Nazi-era military bunker, a remnant of Adolf Hitler's New Reich Chancellery, to make way for new housing developments. The proposal has sparked significant controversy, with preservationists arguing for its historical importance.
The bunker, located in the heart of the German capital, is one of the few remaining structures from the New Reich Chancellery, which served as the seat of Nazi power. The Chancellery itself was heavily damaged during the Battle of Berlin in the final days of World War II and subsequently torn down by Soviet forces in 1949.
Berlin's housing minister, Christian Gaebler, stated that the bunker should not impede new housing, adding that preserving it might inadvertently turn it into a site of pilgrimage. However, Dietmar Arnold, chairman of the Berlin Underworlds Association, described the potential demolition as "absolute madness."
Arnold emphasized the bunker's significance as a "site of the perpetrators" and the "power center of Nazi Germany," representing the last physical remnants of Hitler's chancellery. He has proposed collaborating with the Holocaust Museum to transform the site into a memorial with an exhibit detailing the end of the war. Arnold expressed concern about the continuous destruction of historical sites in Germany, encompassing both Nazi and Communist history.
Last year, the Berlin State Monuments Council opposed the demolition plans, citing the bunker's "significant historical value." The council noted its role as a "planning center and starting point of World War Two" and a symbol of the Nazi regime's end. They recommended an assessment by the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments regarding its preservation status and listing as a protected building.
Arnold, who last visited the bunker in 2007, reported it to be in very good condition, with its 12,900-square-foot complex intact and walls and ceilings nearly six feet thick. He suggested that construction might be possible on top of the bunker without requiring its demolition.
The bunker in question is distinct from the Führerbunker, where Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun died. This particular structure was used by staff of the Reich Chancellery and later served as a hospital after World War II.