Bunker in Cologne: “Short-term commissioning not possible”
There are still bunkers in Cologne today. Can the protective systems be used? 24RHEIN asked the Federal Office for Civil Protection and the city.
Cologne – How well would Germany be prepared for an emergency? A topic that, in view of the Ukraine conflict, is also on the minds of some people in North Rhine-Westphalia and Cologne. Because even if the real danger of war in Germany is currently very low, many are asking themselves the question of protection options. But how many bunkers are there in Cologne, where are they located and could they be used in an emergency?
Cologne: How many bunkers are there?
Theoretically, there are still many bunkers in Cologne today – but often they are no longer recognizable as such. Most of them now serve as museums, venues or living quarters. According to the city of Cologne, the only fully preserved civil protection facility is in the Kalk district, more precisely directly at the Kalk Post underground station (line 1 and line 9 of the KVB Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe stop here). The bunker was built during the Cold War in case of nuclear war. However, a large part – above all the former air raid shelter in Cologne – was built around the time of the Second World War.
Bunker in Cologne: “Short-term commissioning is not possible in all cases”.
However, at least officially, there are no longer any public shelters in Cologne. The “existing public shelters” have now all been “removed from the civil defense bond,” said a city spokeswoman when asked by 24RHEIN. The city of Cologne rededicated, sold or converted the urban shelters back in the 1990s. “Short-term commissioning is not possible in all cases”.
However, the city pointed out that the responsibility for the matter lay with civil protection and disaster relief (BBK): “According to the BKK, the federal government decided, due to a changed security situation, in agreement with the federal states, to remove the existing public shelters from the civil protection bond in 2007. so also in Cologne”.
Bunker in Cologne: civil protection sees pent-up demand
24RHEIN asked the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance: How well prepared would Germany, NRW or Cologne be for an emergency? “Current events show that previous assumptions are only valid to a limited extent,” a spokeswoman explained to 24RHEIN.
Accordingly, the federal government should “reposition itself not only militarily, but also in civil protection”. Therefore, the current precautions and measures in civil protection in Germany and the BBK or the Technical Verified Relief Agency (THW) should be “clearly proven.”
Cologne: Can bunkers still be used in an emergency?
If the going gets tough, most bunkers probably wouldn’t be much help. According to the BBK, the federal and state governments gave up the previous shelter concept in 2007. Therefore, there are currently no longer any functional public shelters anywhere in Germany. Because all bunkers that still exist as shelters are “practically no longer maintained and therefore no longer kept functional” by the federal government. In theory, however, around 620 public shelters are currently planned throughout Germany for the protection of the population, as the civil protection explained when asked.
But that might not be a real problem. Because according to experts, the extension of the Ukraine war to Germany is unlikely, whether with extreme or even nuclear weapons. “I don’t think nuclear war is a likely consequence of this crisis,” Sipri director Dan Smith said German press agency after Russian President Putin threatened nuclear weapons. The nuclear weapons expert Hans Kristensen also says: “This is verbal saber-rattling”.
What is the shelter concept?
The so-called shelter concept regulated the type and quantity of public shelters, such as bunkers, in Germany. However, since the security situation in Germany gradually changed after the end of the Cold War, this year 2007 ended. Because, according to the federal government, public shelters no longer offer “changed protection” from current dangers such as climate change, natural disasters and terrorism.
Bunker in Cologne: These old protective systems still exist – overview by district
- Altstadt-Nord: BASA bunker (Am alten Ufer), high bunker (Domstrasse), cathedral bunker (Roncalliplatz)
- Old Town South: bunker (Elsassstrasse), bunker (Schnurgasse)
- Bickendorf: high bunker (sand path)
- Deutz: Bunker (Helenenwallstrasse)
- field of honor: Bunker (Körnerstrasse)
- flittard: Bunker (Pützlachstr.)
- mountain: Bunker (Rothenburgerstrasse 2)
- high house: high bunker (Bodestrasse), high bunker (Honschaftstrasse)
- lime: MZA civil defense bunker (underground station Kalk Post)
- Mauenheim: Bunker (Green Courtyard)
- Mulheim: Kulturbunker (Berliner Straße)
- Neustadt North: Bunker (Elsa-Brändström-Strasse),
- Niehl: Bunker (Neue Landstraße)
- knick-knacks: Reichsbahn bunker (Wagenhallenstrasse), high-rise bunker (Kevelaerer Strasse), Nippes (Werkstattstrasse)
- opinion poll: Bunker (Siegburger Straße)
- Radertal: Bunker (Marktstrasse)
- aspic: Bunker (Rupprechtstrasse)
- birdsong: Bunker (Robin Path)
- folding rule: Bunker (Herthastraße)
Bunker Cologne: What alternatives are there?
- multipurpose facility: Subway stations, low-lying train stations or underground car parks
- Former auxiliary hospitals
- school shelters
- Private home shelters
If there were to be an air raid in Germany, one would have to switch to so-called “multi-purpose facilities” in Cologne, too, explains the spokeswoman for civil protection. This would also include the former bunker in Kalk or the subway at Rudolfplatz, because due to their underground location, subway stations are well suited for this. According to the BBK, however, other underground structures such as underground car parks or low-lying train stations are also used for this purpose. They were built during the Cold War and are mainly in the “old” federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to civil protection, there are still shelters in schools or the former auxiliary hospitals. The latter were built for special emergencies and are intended to protect against war attacks, natural disasters, epidemics, terrorist attacks or reactor accidents, among other things. There isn’t one in Cologne itself, but there are, for example, in Bonn or Aldenhoven (Düren district).
According to the BBK, there are a total of around 9,000 private home shelters in Germany in addition to the public shelters. These were also financially supported by the state until 1996. However, it is unclear where these are located. (os with dpa) More news on the 24RHEIN homepage. Tip: Informed daily about what’s happening in NRW – simply subscribe to our free 24RHEIN newsletter.
This text was posted on April 4th. Updated March: New: Information from the city of Cologne added.