Tube bunker on Tarpenbekstraße

The tube bunker (Röhrenbunker) on Tarpenbekstraße was built in 1940. It consists of two underground concrete tubes, each around 15 metres long, which could accommodate 100 people to protect them from shrapnel, fire bombs and gas attacks.

After the war, the bunker remained closed until the 1990s, when the artists Michael Batz (born 1951) and Gerd Stange (born 1954) turned it into a monument to the victims of National Socialism. In May 1995, the bunker was temporarily transformed into a stage as part of the ‘Subbühne’ (Substage) project. A number of events were held to commemorate the writer Wolfgang Borchert, who died in 1947 from the effects of his imprisonment and experiences during the war. Borchert’s former home lies within sight of the bunker. In 1996, the two artists created the ‘Rhythmische Babylonische Wasserskulptur’ (Rhythmic Babylonian Water Sculpture), a watercourse that symbolises the flow of memories.

Today the bunker is maintained by the Geschichtswerkstatt Eppendorf, a local history association which has extensively renovated the bunker and offers tours by arrangement.