REPORTAGE. In Germany, voices are raised for the renovation of bunkers for fear of a Russian attack

Faced with the threat of conflict with Russia, several cities in Germany are requesting the rehabilitation of bunkers from the Second World War and the Cold War, to protect their populations from a possible attack.

It is at the end of a staircase and behind a heavy door that the Gesundbrunnen bunker, in Germany, is hidden, about ten meters underground. “These doors are monsters of concrete and steel, about 60 centimeters thick.”explains Kay Heyne of the Berlin Underground Association. “If I take refuge in an underground shelter like this in time, I am protected from the direct effects of a nuclear weapon attack.”

Designed in 1941 as an air raid shelter, the bunker could accommodate 1 400 people for 24 hours. With its maze of colors, its two water tanks and its ventilation system, it is still in working order. “The device runs on electricity, but in the event of a disaster or war there may be outages so there are cranks to activate it manually”says Kay Heyne. “The bunker could be usable again, but the ventilation system filter would need to be replaced, probably the door seals changed and the toilets would still work.”

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, many voices have been raised in Germany to better protect the population against a possible attack by Russia. Some even call for the rehabilitation of the bunkers from the Second World War and the Cold War: because of the 2 000 originally existing, 560 escaped destruction.

Some have been transformed into art galleries or museums, others are abandoned. “After 1990, we believed we were living in a period of peace”explains Alexander Handschuh, spokesman for The Association of German Cities who requests their rehabilitation. “For the past two years, we have had a war in Europe again. We are not as well prepared as before, so we should look at which bunkers can be renovated and made operational.”

But the renovation of these shelters would cost 10 billion euros. For Green MP Leon Eckert, spending such a sum would hardly make sense: “If we invest in bunkers now, we will certainly need 50 years before we have enough places for everyone. During the Cold War, the Federal Republic had shelters for only 2% of the population.”

“And then today, the missiles are so powerful that when they hit a shelter, they immediately pierce it, so we have to act differently.”

Leon Eckert, Green MP

at franceinfo

Civil protection experts recommend investing more heavily in anti-aircraft defense and fitting out the basements of homes, a much more effective protection according to them, than the long and costly renovation of these bunkers.