Hitler's bunker -Berlin 1945

[mas36]

I recently watched the film "Downfall" and was very impressed with it. I've also read Trevor Roper's book "The Last 100 Days". I was curious to know if Hitler's bunker in Berlin still survives? I was told that it is indeed still there, but that it is not open to the public. Is any part of it visible? How about the lay-out of Hitler's bunker, was the film accurate? One person told me that it has been sealed up so no one can visit it. I was wondering if there would be anything left in there in the way of artifacts, or did the Russians clean it all up?

I can understand how the government might be worried about it's allure to neo-Nazis, but it's value to historians would be even greater, I would think.

I know it's a bunch of questions, but I'm simply very curious about it all, especially since seeing the film. Thanks for any information/help.

[ArmedPacifist]

It is not marked, I believe I have a picture of the surface but I can't seem to find it, if I remember correctly part of it is a parking lot and the rest is just a garden.

The Russians blew it up a long time ago though.

[Minardiau]

It's a car park.

[Vandervahn]

...I was curious to know if Hitler's bunker in Berlin still survives? I was told that it is indeed still there, but that it is not open to the public. Is any part of it visible?

You were told wrong. The only thing left is the foundation and remains of the outer wall, it is completely filled with earth, debris and ground water.

How about the lay-out of Hitler's bunker, was the film accurate?

It was mostly accurate with minor concessions to necessities of filming, like space for camera movement or lighting.

I was wondering if there would be anything left in there in the way of artifacts, or did the Russians clean it all up?

Well, what do you expect? When the staff left it, they took anything sensitive. When the guards left it, they took anything valuable. When the Russians took it they searched it over and over again and took anything else of interest, down to the last chair and piece of paper. You will find more things of interest in the plundered "Valley of the Kings" in Egypt than in this area.

I can understand how the government might be worried about it's allure to neo-Nazis, but it's value to historians would be even greater, I would think.

It has no historical significance. It´s just a bunker, like thousands of others. Not even an especially large or sophisticated one.

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It is not marked, I believe I have a picture of the surface but I can't seem to find it, if I remember correctly part of it is a parking lot and the rest is just a garden.

It IS marked. There is a memorial plate nearby, and prior to the Football WC an information panel was set up denoting its location. And on some parts of it there is a restaurant and a supermarket nowadays.

The Russians blew it up a long time ago though.

Actually, they didnt. They didnt manage to. The GDR government tried it again in 1957 with even less success (dont ask me why). It was finally dismantled in 1988 when the whole complex had to be removed and large civilian housings were built on it. Those were later demolished again and the whole area transformed to what we have now.

[toki]

It IS marked. There is a memorial plate nearby, and prior to the Football WC an information panel was set up denoting its location. And on some parts of it there is a restaurant and a supermarket nowadays.

Last time i was in Berlin was 2 weeks before the WC. I lived on Wilhelmstrasse 200m from the holocaust monument. I could be completely wrong, but wasn't the Reichskanzlei and the Bunker pretty much exactly there? At or nearby the holocaust monument?

And generally: Even if so, besides the new plate, the place is not recognisable, and that on purpose. Nobody wants a monument for the wrong people in his neighbourhood.

Edit: it is at the corner of Gertrud-Kolmar-Straße and In den Ministergärten (small streets, near Voßstr. Ebertstr. and Wilhelmstr.) Pretty exactly opposite of the Appartement in Berlin/Mitte i have access to. I need to go there again this year. *sigh* Not for Mitte though, PB and FH...

Here:


Btw there's a Dunkin Donuts directly at the Holocaust Monument. They errected some barracks there with cafes and stuff. A bit weird imho. We were sitting there because we were waiting for a girlfriend to pick us up, ate some donuts on some plastic chairs and watched all the italian and american tourists 10m in front of us. I never eat that sweet crap, only at the Holocaust Monument.

Edit2: I could be wrong, now i read it's at the corner of Wilhelm and Voß, which would be a bit more east on the pic. Directly under the words "i live".
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Führerbunker says there's a little chinese restaurant, a supermarket and a parking lot.

Whatever, anybody from Berlin who could approve this mess, which is my post?

[PrinzEugen]

This is a very good site when it comes to these kind of questions:

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/berlin2.htm

[toki]

This is a very good site when it comes to these kind of questions:

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/berlin2.htm

wow

The Wilhelmstraße side of the Reichskanzlei (Reichs Chancellery), seen about 1939 (left) and in 1945 (right). The Reichskanzlei was one of the premier projects of architect Albert Speer. It was heavily damaged by Allied bombing and the ruins were destroyed by the Soviets in the late 1940s. (author's collection)

Although the building itself is gone, some remains can still be seen in Berlin. Red marble from the interior of the Reichskanzlei was used extensively in the building of the Mohrenstraße U-bahn (subway) station, and also for the Soviet war memorial in Treptower Park (below).

this is our "base" subway station in Berlin. I wondered that it looked some kinda historic, but i had no clue.


and here i edited my earlier picture:

The subwaystation with the marble of the "Reichskanzlei" is under the "in" (the blue dot)

[PrinzEugen]

wow

Yeah I know, you can spend hours on that site.
Your place would of been a dangerous place to live in the spring of 45

[toki]

Yeah I know, you can spend hours on that site.
Your place would of been a dangerous place to live in the spring of 45

Yeah, could be. I mean i actually never realized how close it was to the "center of power". I maybe go there again later this year and watch a bit more carefully.
This street is a bit dull though. Socialist buildings and stuff, but alot of historic sights and government buildings around. The fun parts of Berlin are elsewhere though.

[Jurpula]

This is a very good site when it comes to these kind of questions:

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/berlin2.htm

That's an interesting site

[CRAZY MERC]

Very interesting site. Does anybody knows any other ones?

[PrinzEugen]

Check the linkpage, pretty much all you could need.

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/links.htm

[hedgehog]

Check out

http://www.berliner-unterwelten.de

Next time I am in Berlin I will try and take a tour

[mas36]

Many thanks to all who responded. Very interesting site, PrinzEugen, thanks for the link! Also thanks Toki for the map! I hope to visit Berlin soon. I'm interested in doing my own walking tour of interesting sites. (A few years ago, I did a long walking tour of Paris, also looking for sites of the Paris Liberation. Some bullet holes still visible if you know where to look) Are there any war damaged structures still visible in parts of Berlin?

Also, to toki, that large park on the upper left of the map, what park is that, and has it always been a park? I wonder if any fighting occurred there?

Many thanks again!

[toki]

Many thanks to all who responded. Very interesting site, PrinzEugen, thanks for the link! Also thanks Toki for the map! I hope to visit Berlin soon. I'm interested in doing my own walking tour of interesting sites. (A few years ago, I did a long walking tour of Paris, also looking for sites of the Paris Liberation. Some bullet holes still visible if you know where to look) Are there any war damaged structures still visible in parts of Berlin?

Also, to toki, that large park on the upper left of the map, what park is that, and has it always been a park? I wonder if any fighting occurred there?

Many thanks again!

German cities are largely rebuild. Every city was pretty much devastated. I can only speak about my own (Düsseldorf) you can hardly see damaged structures. Berlin is huge and there was so much construction going on especially in the last 10 years you will hardly find any actual war damage.

In my hometown I grew up in a very old (but nicely renovated) house - pre ww1 and a dud fell through the room that was my bedroom 40 years later, you could still see where it came through. Other than that you can only guess. In our cellar you could see the breakthroughs to the next houses to avoid getting stuck in your own cellar in case of a full hit. There are a few gaps between old houses. Normally it shows that this place was never rebuild. But that's getting rare. A parking lot next to my new place was actually a whole corner of a block that was never rebuild. I have never seen a bullet whole around here, but they frequently find duds and have to evacuate whole blocks.

And if you see streets with houses from the 1950's and 60's you know that those streets vanished in the war. Fortunately i grew up in a nice old street.
Those places are expensive now.

And Berlin is also rebuild (almost remodeled) especially in the phase after reunification, but you have a lot of historic Buildings. The Large Park is 'Tiergarten' and was always a park. Berlin is one of my favourite cities, definitely worth a visit!

Siegessäule (Victory Column) in (or next to) Tiergarten


You see both pics are shot in a 90° angle!


and Mas, the map i posted is from a german site, but actually it's Google earth. I think the basic version has the Reichstag already marked. From there you see all the surrounding of the map i posted. You could really take some time before your trip and do a little route for yourself. The sites of Prinz Eugen will help. And with Google Earth it is quite easy to make yourself a picture before you go there.

And if you want a Hotel, go for Berlin Mitte (Center). It is probably in your interest to stay around there. If you don't care about $$$€€€ then go for the Adlon and you're directly where it's at.