Flakturm Type VI G – Hochbunker at Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg, Germany


Flakturm VI
Flakturm VI G Wilhelmsburg Hamburg – photo 2011

This Flakturm VI G is located at the Wilhemsburg area in Hamburg and provided an air-raid shelter for around 18,000 people. On the roof were four embrasured anti-air defense positions. Flakturms were mostly built in pairs with a G-Trum and an L-Turm. The L-Turm was the fire direction tower and the G-turm the fighting stand. The L-Turm was demolished after the war.

Flakturm VI bunker Hamburg
Flakturm VI G Wilhelmsburg Hamburg – photo 2011
Flakturm VI bunker Hamburg
Flakturm VI G Wilhelmsburg Hamburg – photo 2011
Flakturm VI bunker Hamburg
Flakturm VI G Wilhelmsburg Hamburg under renovation in 2011

Demolition by the British

Blasting Flakturm Hamburg
Blasting of Flakturm Wilhelmsburg Hamburg in 1947

After the war the British demilitarized Hamburg and dismantled many bunkers and installations so they could not be used again. The L-Turm at Wilhelmsburg was completely demolished with explosives, but this could not be done with the G-Turm out of fear that the blast would hurt the housing in the area. So on 17 October 1947 only the interior of the massive bunker was demolished with a 1,000 kg of explosives. The blast caused all the pillars to break and five of the eight inner floors, including walls, fixtures and stairs, collapsed.

Energy Bunker

During our visit in 2011 this Flakturm VI G was being renovated into a green energy facility called in German “Energie bunker”. The remaining concrete floors and pillars were being removed through a large rectangular opening in the structure on the west side. A mechanical arm was drilling away the concrete of the interior. The construction site gates were left open and Patrick took the liberty to shoot some close up pictures of the demolition works.

Flakturm VI Hamburg Energy bunker
The renovation of Flakturm VI in Hamburg into “Energy Bunker” – photo 2011
Flakturm VI Hamburg inside
A view of Flakturm VI G inside – photo 2011
Flakturm bunker Hamburg inside
Another view of Flakturm VI G and the damaged pillars and floors inside – photo 2011

Visit

Nowadays the bunker provides green energy through solar panels and other means for the area. You can view the outside of the bunker from the surrounding park, although its original state has been greatly altered. There is a cafe in one of the Flak towers and an outside terras which provides a superb view over the Elbe river.

There is also a Flakturm type IV at Heiligengeistfeld – St. Pauli in Hamburg.


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