In the centre of Berlin, just a 5 minute walk from Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse, you can find a perfectly square concrete building. The Reinhardtstrasse-bunker was constructed in 1942. Its 5 meter thick concrete ceilings provided shelter for citizens and the nazi army. The thoughtfully designed facades don’t quite make sense for a bunker. But this bunker, like many in Berlin, was meant to last long after the war and serve in Hitler’s new Berlin. All over the city large concrete structures were built, often through forced labour, with the goal that they would become monuments of victory after the war. Most of these bunkers were purposefully destroyed during the demilitarisation of Germany, but a few still stand today. This one could not be destroyed due to its location in a highly populated area. So instead of becoming a pile of rubble, it has moved with the ebbs and flows of the city. If you are curious about the history of Berlin, study the walls of this bunker.
Next to one of the entrances you can find a graffiti’d banana, a nod to the bunker's history. After being sieged by the Red Army in 1945 the bunker was briefly used as a war prison. Then, when Germany was divided, the DDR became its new owner. In accordance with the demilitarisation of Germany it was turned into a warehouse, first for textiles and then, in 1957, for tropical fruit. The DDR received regular shipments from Cuba in the name of their comradery. This fruit, being too little to share with the entire city, was a special perk for high ranking officials. In a socialist regime these perks were taboo, therefore they needed a secret spot to hide Cuba’s fruit. The cooling thick walls of the bunker were the perfect place to keep the fruit fresh. Shipments were dropped off at the back alley and lifted in through a hole on the second floor, hiding the fruit from sight. But, for thirty years, you could smell bananas when you walked by, giving the secret away and the bunker a new name; The Banana Bunker.
Inside of the bunker, many of the walls are covered in black paint and neon graffiti. These are remnants of the 90’s. After the fall of the wall there were many abandoned and strange places in the city that the new united Germany could not keep track of, leaving room for subcultures to adopt them. This bunker was one of those strange empty places and so, in 1992, it became a techno club called “Bunker”. Bunker became famous as the “hardest club in the world” known for its fetisch and fantasy parties. In 1995 a New Years party got out of hand, leading to Bunker being closed. In the hangover of its club years the bunker stood mostly empty except for a few art exhibitions.
After being unused for many years the bunker was bought by art collectors Karen and Christian Boros in 2003. After having renovated the building, showcase their contemporary art collection here. The museum is called the Boros Collection and can only be visited with a tour costing 18 euros. The bunker's current use reflects Berlin as it is today, with increasing privatisation and a vibrant art scene. Though expensive it is a good recommendation for any contemporary art- or heritage lover. The exhibit changes every 4 years and artists are given creative freedom in how and where in the building they want to display their art. When the bunker was renovated in 2003 they left many traces of history and created new more open spaces. These different spaces -from black graffiti’d low rooms to 7 meter high ceilings with neatly plastered walls- and the different artworks go hand in hand. The bunker’s history intensifies the art displayed, in return the art gives the bunker its next layer.
Sources:
Dell, A. (2020, July 15th). Berlin’s Boros bunker. Meer. Consulted on March 31, 2026, at https://www.meer.com/en/62791-berlins-boros-bunker
History of the bunker - Boros Collection. (z.d.). BOROS COLLECTION. Consulted on March 31, 2026, at https://boros-collection.com/en/history-of-the-bunker
Unterwelten, B. (n.d.). Berliner Unterwelten. Berliner Unterwelten. https://www.berliner-unterwelten.de/en/index.html
