U-Boot-Bunker Valentin

About the museum

The “Valentin” bunker in Bremen-Farge was meant to serve the Kriegsmarine (Nazi Germany's navy) as a bombproof shipyard where Type XXI U-boats would be assembled from prefabricated sections. Construction began in 1943, making use of the infrastructure and camps of the fuel depots built in the area since 1935. Thousands of people from all over Europe and North Africa were forced to work on the huge construction site – civilian forced laborers, prisoners of war and concentration camp prisoners. More than 1,600 of them died of hunger, disease and violence.

The concrete structure, roughly 420 meters long with ceilings up to seven meters thick, was never completed: after bomb hits in March 1945, work came to a standstill, and not a single U-boat ever left the shipyard. Plans considered after the war to remove the colossus were never carried out; from 1960 to 2010, the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) used part of the complex as a naval depot.

In 1983, the memorial “Vernichtung durch Arbeit” (Extermination through Labor) by Fritz Stein was erected in front of the bunker. On November 8, 2015, the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Bremen opened the Denkort Bunker Valentin as a site of documentation and remembrance. A trail with 25 stations leads through the interior of the ruin and across the outdoor grounds; in the information center, an exhibition, a media table on the surrounding armaments landscape and, since 2025, six media stations and a digital memorial book explore the history of the site and its victims. In 2025, more than 40,000 people visited the memorial site for the first time; it also offers seminars and project days for schools and adults.

Highlights

• Unfinished bunker shipyard about 420 m long with ceilings up to 7 m thick
• Trail with 25 stations through the bunker ruin and across the outdoor grounds
• Memorial “Vernichtung durch Arbeit” by Fritz Stein
• Ceiling-high projection of historical film footage and photos inside the bunker
• Digital memorial book for the forced laborers of the construction site
• Audio tour for children aged 8 to 12

Permanent exhibitions

• Rundweg Bunker „Valentin“ – 25 stations with historical photos, eyewitness accounts and short texts lead from the memorial through the bunker interior and across the outdoor grounds; additional audio content is available in the app in German and English.
• Ausstellung im Informationszentrum – Six thematic islands with objects from the construction and postwar periods as well as names and photos of former prisoners, supplemented since November 2025 by media stations and a digital memorial book.

Founded

2015

Operated by

Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Bremen

Director

Dr. Thomas Köcher

Visitors per year

approx. 40,000 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission to the grounds, information center and exhibition. Public guided tours (approx. 90 min., 1.5 km) on Sundays at 11:00 and 13:30: €7, reduced €3 (including children 12 and over, school students, university students, apprentices, people with severe disabilities, the unemployed, social welfare recipients, FSJ/FÖJ volunteers), children under 12 free; online registration, max. 6 people per booking.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

Largely accessible for wheelchair users; at the “Betonmischanlage Nord” station (stairs), an alternative route continues, marked on the trail flyer. Accessible restroom during information center opening hours; the restroom in the seminar building is only partly usable. Accessible group tours by arrangement. An audio-descriptive audio tour with a tactile keypad for visually impaired visitors can be borrowed at the information center; because of the size of the site, a companion is recommended. Information sheet in Easy Language and website videos in German Sign Language.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Memorial site addressing Nazi crimes; according to the memorial, the exhibitions are not designed for younger children. There is a dedicated audio tour for children aged 8 to 12 (media guide at the information center or app), created together with elementary school children from Farge-Rekum. For teenagers aged 13 and over, preparation on the subject matter is recommended.

Getting there & parking

Take the A27 and A270 toward Vegesack to the end, then continue via Farger Straße and Rekumer Straße toward Neuenkirchen, then turn left into Rekumer Siel. Bike racks available.

Amenities & dining

Dogs are not allowed, with the exception of assistance dogs. The on-site multimedia guide is currently only partly usable due to technical problems; all content is available in the free app.

Events & venue rental

No venue rental offered; third-party events only with prior approval from the management (house rules).

Plan your visit