Nuclear Bunker Pankstraße

As the Cold War reached its détente in the 1990s, the face of civil defence changed. It became an integral part of comprehsenive disaster control, focussed less on preparing for war, and more on addressing the pressures of climate change, pandemics, terrorism, cyber-attacks, and blackouts. In the political climate of today, civil defence must adapt again. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has made civil defence more relevant than ever, and Berlin’s underground has much to teach us about that. 

The outwardly humble Pankstraße U-Bahn station holds a secret: it was designed to be one of Berlin’s most sophisicated and fourth-largest civil defence shelter. Capable of keeping 3,339 people in safety for two-weeks, the Pankstraße train station is fully equipped: it has huge reinforced concrete gates, designed to hermetically seal the building; an independent power supply driven by a 465 horse-power diesel generator; and an underground waterworks that can ensure its inhabitants have a constant supply of drinking water. In the case of a catastrophic event, shelter residents would have endured the unimaginably tight quarters, stacked in four-tier bunk bunks, until it was safe to emerge. This multi-purpose facility was built in 1977, and as of 2010, it remains a protected historic monument. 

On this tour, and from within this original atomic fallout shelter, we will explore the ever-evolving landscape of civil defence from its origins to the modern era. During the Cold War, Germany sought to defend the people of Berlin against a nuclear emergency by building bunkers and setting up emergency infrastructure. We will tackle the pressing questions head-on: Should Cold War era civil defence facilities still be operational today? Are there still enough shelters left in the city? And, most importantly, what should the civil defence of the future look like?