The Bunker Museum in Kaliningrad is technically called the Blindage Museum. It tells the history of the last days of the Second World War, including the last days of Königsberg. Inside, you can see how the city fell to Soviet Forces.
I was in Kaliningrad in October 2017, and during my research, the Bunker Museum was identified as one of the most exciting places in the city for documenting what happened to the town when it was the capital of East Prussia.
I knew I would have to visit it!
Discover the Secrets of the Bunker Museum in Kaliningrad
In March 1945, German general Otto Lasch ordered the digging and construction of a 7-meter-deep command bunker. The bunker would be located not far from the smoldering ruins of Königsberg Castle, but today, the House of Soviets stands there. The city was already surrounded by Soviet forces, but the battle for Königsberg was far from over.
The construction was done by slave labor, and it took a few weeks to finish. The one-story underground concrete bunker was built 7 meters deep, 42 meters long, and 15 meters wide. There are 21 rooms inside the shelter, which was the headquarters of the German command during the last days of the Second World War. Here, General Otto Lasch signed the Act of Capitulation and surrendered the city to the Red Army.
Inside the Bunker Museum, you can feel the atmosphere of the last days of the Second World War. Dioramas show the destruction of Königsberg, and key buildings around the city are easy to spot. Some still stand today, and some didn’t survive the battle.
There are recreations of how the German army surrendered, with models representing General Otto Lasch and his army looking down in sorrow. There are maps of the assault on the city, and eyewitness reports about the fighting. There was even a film showing the battle and describing the fight for the city.
One of the most exciting elements of the bunker for me was the gate, made of thick steel wire covered in runic symbols. Supposedly, these symbols were meant to give the German forces inside it some magical defense. But it seems it didn’t work since they lost the war and the city.
Since the bunker was built in the last days of the war, it mainly survived undamaged. This is why, in 1967, it was opened to the public as a museum.
Explore the Depths of History at the Bunker Museum in Kaliningrad
The only downside of the Bunker Museum is that everything inside is in Russian only. Even buying the tickets to go in was a bit complicated since nobody seemed to understand some of my questions.
Either way, if you know some of the histories from Königsberg in the Second World War, you will realize most of the museum. If you don’t, it might be cool to explore the bunker and see how Nazi German dug a hole to hide from the Red Army storming the city.
The Bunker Museum is in front of Kaliningrad State University, a few minutes’ walk from Victory Square. The area around the museum is purely residential, and it was hard for me to find it. Keep your eyes open, and try to find a small anti-aircraft gun, and you will find yourself in the right place.
The Bunker Museum is open every day of the week except Monday, from 10 to 18. The entrance fee is around 100 rubles, about €2 when I visited the museum.
Bunker Museum Kaliningrad: A Chilling Journey into World War II History
Ulitsa Universitetskaya, 2А, Kaliningrad, Russia, 236006
