Ollerupbunkeren
German air-raid shelter from 1944 at the Gymnastikhøjskole Ollerup with a small exhibition on the occupation and resistance in South Funen.
About the museum
In autumn 1943 the German Wehrmacht seized the three free schools in Ollerup – the Gymnastikhøjskole, Folkehøjskole, and Håndværkerskole. At times 500 to 800 soldiers were quartered at the Gymnastikhøjskole. For their protection during air raid alarms, a concrete bunker was poured in January 1944, because Allied bombers flew over Denmark on the way to targets on the Baltic Sea and in northern Germany. Two Allied bombers crashed nearby in 1944.
After the end of the war, the bunker fell into oblivion; the school, which owns the property, used it among other things as storage for fruit and potatoes. In 2002 residents founded an association that restored the facility and made it accessible as a small museum.
In the corridors, about 100 meters long, panels, photos, and models explain around 45 topics: the course of the war, weapon drops for the resistance, local resistance groups, the situation after liberation, and the roughly 3,000 refugees in Ollerup. In the three niches, once toilets, there are donations from the population, engine parts of a British bomber shot down in 1944, and a landscape model of a crash. Every year on May 4, the association invites visitors to a festival of lights at the bunker.
Highlights
- Bunker corridors about 100 meters long from 1944
- Around 45 topics on occupation, resistance, and refugees in South Funen
- Engine parts of a Short Stirling bomber shot down in 1944
- Landscape model of the crash of a B-17 "Flying Fortress"
- Festival of lights commemorating liberation every year on May 4
- Free access around the clock during the season
- Founded
- 2002
- Operated by
- Foreningen Ollerupbunkeren
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: not available
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Kids & families
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
For children there are questionnaires (also for the youngest), the story "Sarah og Hans", and a wartime board game to download.
Getting there & parking
The bunker is on the edge of Ollerup on Ditlevvej next to the Gymnastikhøjskole, about 5 km west of Svendborg.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
- Museum shop: not available
In front of the bunker there are tables and benches for coffee and snacks you bring yourself. There is no restroom.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | For school classes, the association provides a guide by arrangement. There are freely copyable tasks for children, a questionnaire with 15 questions, and loanable material bags for teaching. An overview of the exhibition is available at the entrance. |
