This T750 bunker is a factory air-raid shelter or “Werkluftschutzbunker“ located on the grounds of the former Bremer Vulkan AG shipyard during World War Two. The large bunker corresponds to the construction type of naval troop bunkers, or in German “Truppenmannschaftsbunker“, of the Kriegsmarine.
Werftbunker LSB 1400 variant
The bunker is a so-called “Werftbunker LSB 1400” variant of which 13 were built throughout Germany, near large production sites of the Kriegsmarine. It was constructed between 1943 and 1944 and could provide shelter for 1,400 people (instead of the 750 capacity of the standard type). The building is comprised of a main bunker with walls of 2.5 meters thick and two entrance sections to its east- and western sides secured with gas locks. The building has four floors with a large staircase in the center of the main building and an air-raid observation post and chimney on the roof at the eastern side.
The north flank of the bunker cuts into a hillside so that the ground entrances to the gas locks are not accessible from here. It is not clear whether this was already so during WWII or that they were earthed in later times.
Another T750 bunker is nearby to this one, a little walk further to the northwest. You can find it at this address: An d. Lobbendorfer Mühle 1-7, 28755 Bremen, Germany. It is quite unrecognisable, because it has been renovated and looks like a warehouse building.
Allied bombings
The Vulkan shipyard produced various types of U-Boats for the Kriegsmarine and was attacked several times. The heaviest air raid took place on March 18 1943, carried out by American bombers, resulting in 108 deaths and well over a 100 injured. The material damage was however relatively limited.
Due to bomb damage and the spreading economic collapse, from mid-1944 onward Bremer Vulkan became increasingly unable to meet the production targets set by the Reich government.
After WWII
After the shipyard closed in 1997, the bunker complex was converted into the “Kulturbunker” designated C178, a rehearsal and event center for the Bremen-North music scene.
The double doors were added as emergency exits to adhere to regulations.
Visit
As stated in this article, you can only enter the bunker on the occasion of an event or show taking place. But some of the grounds around the bunker are open to the public, which gives you a chance to see the bunker up close.
