Alzey former government bunker to host open house days

The former government bunker in Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, will host open house days on November 7 and 8. Spanning nearly 1,200 square meters across two levels, the facility served as a protected fallback seat designed to allow the state government to continue operations for up to 30 days in the event of a Third World War.

Built during the Cold War, the facility underwent renovations starting in 1979 to meet state government needs and officially opened as a government bunker in 1981 before being decommissioned in 1993. Visitors can explore historical equipment still present in the site, including Geiger counters, teleprinters with punched tape, and a diesel engine intended for power generation.

Bunker expert Jörg Diester will lead one-hour guided tours of the facility. Unlike the federal government bunker in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, the Alzey site is described as an ‘atomic bunker light,’ as it lacks heavy pressure seals and a deep well for independent water supply.