The Cold War may be 35-odd years in the past, but its remnants are everywhere – from the old Teufelsberg listening station to the muralled Mauer to pricey Kleinanzeigen collectibles. Another Cold War relic? Bunkers, and lots of them.
During this era, military operations were driven underground, leaving the Brandenburg countryside littered with hidden fortresses. For something a little off the well-worn Cold-War-bunker trail (and yes, there is one), head to Bunker Ladeburg, a former command post of the National Volksarmee’s 41st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.
The kitchen is stocked with delicacies such as canned bread and jars of translucent Spargel.
The history
Built between 1982 and 1986 and operational until reunification, Bunker Ladeburg served as a self-sustaining live-in command centre for the 41st Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. It ran around the clock, surveilling and defending the Berlin airspace, and was designed to withstand potential biological and nuclear attacks. After 1990, the bunker was decommissioned, and the land was later sold to a local animal shelter. In 2002, they agreed to allow guided tours of the bunker, and all proceeds go directly to their project.
The bunker
Descending into the bunker feels oddly anticlimactic. A building resembling nothing more than a sturdy garden shed leads you down a set of stairs into a maze of almost identical hallways. The guides here have been doing this job for well over a decade – they’re pros. As they zigzag up ahead through the labyrinth of corridors, you quickly realise you’re at their mercy if you ever hope to find the exit. Do they ever get lost? The guide doesn’t hesitate: “Never.”
On the tour, you’ll get a crash course in the logistics of bunker life. You’ll discover an endless series of airlock doors and dummies in outdated gas masks – which undoubtedly adds to the doomsday vibe. You then have the chance to peek into the control room refurbed by the guides themselves, complete with flashing lights and CCTV. The bunker was designed to function independently for up to two weeks at a time, with many (arguably too many) rooms dedicated to its self-sufficiency, from air filtration to water supply.
⚙️ The bunkers of Berlin: Ruins, empty giants, archives and art galleries
As you make your way through the bunker, traces of daily life start to emerge. Recreated living quarters contain rickety bunk beds, where soldiers took turns sleeping in shifts. The kitchen is stocked with delicacies such as canned bread and jars of translucent Spargel. In a classroom, 1980s calculators and a nostalgia-inducing overhead projector sit frozen in time. These are the best places to soak in the details, but the guides save the real showstopper for last.
It’s apocalypse kitsch at its finest, right down to the lingering smell of a once-popular disinfectant.
At the end of the tour, you’ll emerge into the command centre, where rows of pixelated computers and wall maps glow in trippy arcing colours, like a spirograph drawing. There is a cinematic grandeur to this space, which is also a testament to the guides’ dedication: every line on the maps was hand-painted for this display.
The remnants
While certain chunks of the tour will mainly appeal to die-hard military history fanatics (or those with a surprising passion for ventilation systems), almost anyone can appreciate the small slice-of-life elements that give the bunker its strangely charming energy. When the bunker was first opened to the public, little remained beyond the large built-in equipment. Filling the space has been a decades-long effort, aided by several visits from real-life residents – one former soldier even helped uncover the contraband radio he had modified and hidden so he could listen to forbidden West German tunes.
Several rooms are dedicated to the abundance of things kept in the bunker: uniforms of various ranks, gas masks and handbooks on nuclear warfare. Somehow, the most exciting items are also the most mundane: ancient hairdryers and discontinued soap brands, a vintage bottle of Berliner Luft. The highlight?
A non-spinning DDR washing machine that, according to our guide, was often used not for cleaning clothes but for batch-cooking hot dogs and other mealtime staples. It’s apocalypse kitsch at its finest, right down to the lingering smell of a once-popular disinfectant, reminiscent of government offices and hospital hallways today. All of this makes resurfacing that much sweeter – and proves that only a trip underground can make stepping into a gloomy March afternoon feel as refreshing as a summer weekend.
At a glance
Getting there:
Train: Take the S2 towards Bernau and get off at Bernau. From there, hop on the 869 bus to Ladeburg Tierheim, then walk 15 minutes. Heads up: the bus only runs every two hours on the weekends, so plan accordingly.
Car: The drive is about an hour northeast of Berlin.
Hours and prices:
The bunker is only accessible via guided tours, which run bimonthly on select Saturdays at 1pm (see website for exact dates). You have to register in advance via email at [email protected] and indicate whether you prefer a tour in English or German.
You can also request a booking for an alternate date or request a photo tour for groups of up to 10. Tours cost €10 per person, with proceeds going to the animal protection group that owns the land.
