Air-raid shelter am Weinberg (Bunker am Weinberg) in Kassel is a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

air raid shelter built end of the 1930s.

History

Tunnels in the soft

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

of the Weinberg, German for

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, were used for storage of ice and

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

in the early 19th century. In the late 1930s the German government built air raid shelters in all major cities, and one of them was the Air-raid shelter am Weinberg in Kassel. The shelter was designed for 7500 people. During the war Kassel was targeted several times by large air raids, destroying most of the city. The most severe bombing took place 22/23 October 1943, at that point the bunker was filled with over 10 thousand people. The bunker had a medical section with an emergency room, as well as a military command section with a telecommunications centre.

Today

The bunker was left unchanged, except that most of the equipment was reused shortly after the war. The most severe damage to the bunker was done by an illegal techno party in October 1992. The bunker can be visited by guided tours.

References

Buildings and structures in Kassel Nazi architecture Bunkers in Germany World War II sites in Germany Kassel in World War II {{Hesse-struct-stub