Berlin Debates Demolition of Nazi-Era Bunker Beneath Reich Chancellery Site

A heated public debate has erupted in Germany over plans to demolish one of the last remnants of Adolf Hitler's central government in Berlin. The structure in question is a bunker located beneath the new Reich Chancellery complex, originally designed by architect Albert Speer for Hitler. The demolition is proposed to make way for new residential and office buildings. While the Reich Chancellery itself was almost entirely destroyed after World War II and dismantled by Soviet forces in 1949, the bunker has remained intact beneath an open area in central Berlin.

Christian Gebler, Berlin's Senator for Housing from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), supports the demolition, stating that construction of new neighborhoods should not be halted to preserve a bunker that could become a pilgrimage site. In contrast, historians and preservation groups strongly oppose the plan. Dietmar Arnold, chairman of the "Underground Worlds of Berlin" association, called the demolition plan "absolute madness," emphasizing the site's significance as the "center of Nazi Germany's power" and the last surviving part of Hitler's new Chancellery.

Arnold advocates for collaboration with the Holocaust Museum to convert the bunker into a museum and memorial focused on the war's final days. He noted that the bunker, which he last visited in 2007, is well preserved and distinct from the famous Führerbunker where Hitler and Eva Braun died. The bunker served Reich Chancellery staff and housed a hospital in the war's last days. Approximately 1,200 square meters of the bunker remain, with walls and ceilings up to 1.7 meters thick. Arnold believes construction could proceed above the bunker without destroying it.

Berlin's Monument Preservation Council also opposed the demolition last year, recognizing the bunker’s significant historical value. The council highlighted that the new Reich Chancellery was the planning center and launch point for World War II and symbolizes the catastrophic end of the Nazi regime. It called for the site to be considered for protected status to preserve this crucial historical landmark.