Key facts
- Plans are underway in Berlin to demolish a remnant of Adolf Hitler's power center, a World War Two-era bunker.
- Berlin's Housing Senator Christian Gaebler supports the demolition to facilitate new housing and office developments.
- Dietmar Arnold, chairman of the Berlin Underworlds Association, advocates for preserving the bunker as a museum and memorial site.
- The Berlin State Monuments Council has previously expressed criticism of the demolition plans, highlighting the bunker's historical significance.
- The bunker, distinct from the Führerbunker, was used by Reich Chancellery staff and later served as a hospital.
A contentious debate has emerged in Berlin over plans to demolish a bunker that served as part of Adolf Hitler's power center during the Nazi era. Housing Senator Christian Gaebler believes the structure, located on a patch of wasteland where the New Reich Chancellery once stood, should be removed to make way for new housing and offices.
However, preservationists and historians are strongly opposing the demolition. Dietmar Arnold, chairman of the Berlin Underworlds Association, described the plan as 'absolute madness,' emphasizing that the bunker represents the last physical remnants of the Nazi regime's power center. Arnold proposes collaborating with the Holocaust Museum to transform the site into a museum and memorial, focusing on the end of the war.
Arnold noted that the bunker, which he last visited in 2007 and found to be in good condition, is not the more famous Führerbunker where Hitler died. This bunker was utilized by those working in the Reich Chancellery and later served as a hospital. Approximately 1,200 square meters of the complex remain intact, with walls and ceilings measuring 1.7 meters thick. Arnold suggests it might even be possible to build on top of the existing structure without full demolition.
Last year, the Berlin State Monuments Council also voiced criticism, stating the bunker possesses 'significant historical value' as it was the planning center and starting point of World War Two and symbolizes the regime's end. The council recommended an assessment by the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments regarding its status as a listed building.