Gesundbrunnen
At the metro station Gesundbrunnen in Berlin, the Germans during the outbreak of the Second World War converted existing storage rooms into shelters. In these underground bunkers there were several passageways and rooms where nearby residents could seek shelter during allied bombings. However, the walls in the shelters were not thick enough to withstand a direct hit, but they provided excellent protection against splinters and falling objects. There were both toilets and medical rooms in the event that people were forced to stay underground for a long time. The shelters at Gesundbrunnen were not the only shelters established in Berlin.
Current status: Preserved with museum (2011).
Address: Brunnerstrasse 105, 13355 Berlin.
Get there: Metro to Gesundbrunnen Station.
Follow up in books: Beever, Antony: Berlin: The Downfall 1945 (2004).
The shelters can only be visited in the company of a guide and are really interesting. There are several interesting rooms and exhibitions during the tour, but the most interesting is when the guide tells about Hitler’s bunker (Führer bunker). In great detail the guide tells about the origin of Hitler’s bunker and the events that took place there at the end of the war. It is Hitler’s bunker that is the most famous and mythical in Berlin and it’s this one the visitors want to hear about. In addition to the tour in the shelters, there are several other tours that focus on the Cold war.