In the context of the Führer Order For anti-aircraft protection, a civil protection bunker began to be built in 1940 next to the main train station in Hamburg.
Construction began in 1941, lasting more than a year. The work required the employment of hundreds of forced prisoners. The structural walls of the complex reach 3.75 meters thick. The Steintorwall bunker reached a capacity of 2,500 people.
Due to the good quality of defensive construction from the Nazi Germany era, the facility remained active during the Cold War period. The city of Hamburg was located on the northern border of the Iron Curtain, making it sensitive to possible attack by Warsaw Pact forces.
Visit the Steintorwall bunker
As in the city of Berlin, in Hamburg a large part of the underground spaces with historical significance are administered and investigated exclusively by an association created for this purpose. In the case of Hamburg, this foundation is called Hamburger Unterwelten.
The bunker is prepared for guided tours through this association. To do this, you must go to their offices to buy the tickets. Due to the reduced space of the place, the groups are limited. Find out before you go so you don't run out of space.
To get to the Hamburger Unterwelten offices, you can go to the Meßberg stop on the U1 metro line.