Bunkermuseum Hagen

About the museum

The high-rise bunker on Bergstraße was built from the winter of 1940/41 as part of the air-raid protection emergency program and was completed in 1942. In numerous small chambers it offered room for over a thousand people; after the heavy air raids on Hagen, families could also rent permanent sleeping places here. After the war, the windowless building served as emergency housing, later as a hotel with a well-known jazz club, as a driving school, clubhouse, and storage.

The present owners set up a private museum in the basement, which first opened in September 2013 for Open Monument Day. The exhibition deals with civil gas and air-raid protection and the lives of those seeking shelter; many rooms are preserved with original technology such as an emergency power generator and ventilation and filter systems, and a luxury bunker room was reconstructed in faithful detail.

By now the offerings extend over several floors: besides the war museum, there are sections on the postwar use of the bunker, an exhibition on war toys under National Socialism, and historical air-raid protection films. Especially well known is the simulation of an air-raid alarm in the darkened cellar. The museum is privately run and financed through admission fees and a friends' association.

Highlights

• Simulation of an air-raid alarm in the dark bunker cellar
• Reconstructed luxury bunker
• Original ventilation and emergency power technology
• Exhibition on war toys under National Socialism
• Historical short air-raid protection films
• Postwar history of the bunker as a hotel and jazz club

Permanent exhibitions

• Kriegsmuseum – Ziviler Luftschutz im Zweiten Weltkrieg – Exhibition in the cellar rooms of the high-rise bunker on the everyday life of those seeking shelter, with original technology, a reconstructed luxury bunker, and a collection of leaflets.
• Hitler’s Einmarsch ins Kinderzimmer – Toys from the Nazi era show how propaganda and war preparation reached into the children's room.
• Der Bunker in der Nachkriegszeit – Later uses of the building, including as a windowless hotel, jazz club, and driving school.

Founded

2013

Operated by

Michaela Beiderbeck (Privatmuseum)

Admission & discounts

Admission only with a ticket from the online ticket shop. The base price applies to the self-guided visit of the war museum without a tour (with an explanatory map); vouchers available for all offerings.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

The offerings lead across several floors; visitors should be steady on their feet.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

Interactive exhibition with many objects to touch and try out; the topics of war and air raids as well as the air-raid alarm simulation are distressing.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café

Bunker café to the left of the bunker (coffee, cake, bunker beer), open one hour before events begin.

Events & venue rental

• Corporate events

Individual events such as team-building events, club outings, and bunker caching are put together from program modules.

Plan your visit