Amid an increasingly unstable geopolitical balance and growing tensions with Russia, accused of conducting a hybrid war on German soil and posing threats to national security, Germany's Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Office for Civil Protection have initiated a systematic mapping of bunkers, nuclear shelters, and underground structures, both public and private, that could provide refuge for civilians in emergencies. The plan aims to identify and adapt spaces capable of ensuring citizens rapid access in times of need, including train and subway stations, while developing an app allowing people to locate the nearest shelter via smartphone.

Currently, the number of available shelters and bunkers is deemed insufficient for a population of 84 million people, with only 579 bunkers able to accommodate a total of 480,000 individuals. Many of these date back to World War II or the Cold War and are not evenly distributed across the national territory. In Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg, most have been sold by authorities and the government or repurposed into commercial and cultural spaces such as the Boros Collection in Mitte and the Berlin Story Museum.

We have seen many bunkers in Europe transformed into other spaces, often dedicated to culture, such as the one housing the Boros Collection in Berlin: a structure from Nazi Germany repurposed as a museum. However, the design of spaces that can withstand attacks, and the subsequent recognition of their potential meanings and functions in light of wars or climate disasters, is once again becoming a crucial topic, even in the Old Continent.

Opening image: Boros Collection, Berlin, photo by dalbera via Flickr.