The Reichsbahnbunker was built as a bomb shelter during the World War II on the orders on the Nazi party, to serve as shelter for employees and passengers of the German Railway company. The building has 5 floors with 120 rooms, it can fit around 2,500 people. The walls of the building are 2-3 meters thick. It was finished in 1943. Construction was carried out by forced labor prisoners (NS-Zwangsarbeitern) – citizens of countries occupied by the Nazis brought to Germany as slaves.

In 1945, the bunker was taken over by the soviet Red Army and used as a prison for the captured Nazi soldiers. The walls of the building still maintain traces of the when it was taken over, including numerous bullet holes around the structure.

After the war it various purposes, housing wares from textiles to tropical fruits (thus earning the name ‘Banana Bunker). After the reunification of Germany it served as a location for a hardcore rave club. Due widespread drug use and other illegal activities, the club had to be closed down in the middle 1990’s after numerous police raids.

In 2003 it was purchased by Christian Boros, a German entrepreneur/arts collector, who changed it into an exhibition space.

See my other entries on World War II remnants here:

https://seeinberlin.com/2016/01/27/sovieteast-germany-remnants-1-soviet-world-war-ii-memorial-in-treptow/