Flandernbunker (Flanders Bunker), Kiel

The "Mahnmal Kilian" association wants to preserve the Flanders Bunker, which is a compact, defiant gray concrete cube, as an authentic historical monument in public space. Its character as a protective structure during the Second World War is evident in the absence of any beautifying elements (e.g. brickwork) and the enormous wall thickness of over 2 meters visible at the openings.

During the Second World War, the Navy had the so-called Flanders Bunker built in 1943/1944, and forced laborers were probably also employed there. The "T 750" high-rise naval bunker with 2.50 m thick walls and a ceiling thickness of 4.00 m was planned as a "troop bunker" for 750 people - but in reality it was usually heavily overcrowded. Initially, only submariners, radio operators and the commandant of the Reichskriegshafen were to find protection from air raids here, and towards the end of the war, civilians from the surrounding area were also allowed to find shelter here. The Flanders Bunker housed a naval communications center and parts of the West Air Reporting Department (Friedrichsort). From here, defensive measures against air raids and police and fire service operations in the Kiel city area were coordinated, as well as military movements in the naval port, the Kiel Canal and the entire Baltic region, right up to the escape at the end of the war. In order to make the bunker unusable for military purposes after the end of the Second World War, the Allies had large openings blown into the ceiling and walls. The condition of the building, which is now a listed building, was preserved as far as possible. The Kilian Memorial Association has established this war ruin as a place of education for peace promotion and international understanding. Today it is a museum, educational and memorial site and serves as a starting point for vivid history lessons. As a ruin, the bunker documents the madness of war and defeat at the same time and, in its devastation, is seen as a symbol of a no longer functioning object of warfare. A wide variety of cultural events, exhibitions, tours and workshops can be experienced regularly in the Flanders Bunker.

The “Flanders Bunker” awaits you for a visit right on Kiel’s Hindenburgufer. The former naval bunker was built in 1943 and 1944 and, with its 2.5-meter-thick walls and ceilings that were up to four meters thick in places, officially offered shelter to 750 people. It was a refuge for soldiers from the nearby Tirpitzhafen (today the Kiel-Wik naval base) and the Navy's emergency command center. In its function as a military bunker, the Flanders Bunker was closed to civilians - it was only in the last months of the war that local residents also found shelter there from bomb attacks. After the end of the Second World War, large openings were blown into the ceiling and walls of the Flanders Bunker to make it useless for military purposes. After it had been empty for a long time, the Kilian Memorial Association bought the Flanders Bunker at auction in February 2001. The building has been a listed building since 2004: in order to give visitors an authentic piece of war history, the war ruins have been preserved as far as possible in their original state. Today, the Flanders Bunker is not only a museum, but also a place of remembrance and a meeting place where a wide range of events take place.
Many exhibitions, workshops for schoolchildren and musical events have already been held. Performance artists have set temporary accents in and around the bunker. Lectures and theater performances address recent German history. ***PH***