Secret Architectures

The hidden fortified monuments of world wars and of the atomic age

Secrecy, camouflage and distraction coined the construction of fortified monuments in the 20th century.

From blinded batteries of the Swiss in the Alps, the Führer headquarters of the national socialists, Führer bunker and listening facilities of armies in the Cold War but also civil protection shelters, all evaded public notice and information. Planning, construction and operation were performed under the strictest secrecy. Only years after the Cold War, many unknown fortified monuments were opened to the public and present their history in museums now.

These include headquarters such as the ‘Wolfsschanze - Wolf’s Lair’ close to Rastenburg (Ketrzyn, PL) and the numerous bunkers in Berlin and Hamburg. During the Cold War, the NATO and Warsaw Pact installed deep bunkers as so called evasive seats for governmental bodies to secure political and military leadership. The Soviet army operated in its headquarters in Wünsdorf in the south of Berlin several bunker installations. The bunker museum close to the Wurzenpass (Carinthia) in the triangle between Austria-Italy-Slovenia takes visitors back to the time of the Cold War.