
The German city of Emden is located in the northwest of Germany on the Ems river near the Netherlands. As an important port and industrial city and shipyard it was of great value to Germany during the Second World War. The Ems river also provided access to the North Sea. It was so important to the Germans that the Allies dropped the first bombs on the city on March 31, 1940 (other sources mention July 13 1940 as the first air-raid). In total, there were more than 100 air raids on the city of Emden during the war. In April 1941, the new 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) HC “cookie” blockbuster bomb was first used on Emden by an RAF Wellington bomber. Therefore it is not without good reason that several large air raid shelters were built. In total 35 large air raid shelters and a further 141 small splinter-proof bunkers were built in Emden from 1940 onwards.
January 27, 1943 was the first day raid of the USAAF with 55 four-engine bombers, but the heaviest attack was on October 15, 1944. In the end, 60% of the city was laid in ruins.


The construction of several heavy air raid shelters was therefore really necessary for the population. One of these bunkers is located in the Holzsägerstraße. This bunker has 6 floors and is built with 2900 m3 of reinforced concrete. The bunker was completed on 14 April 1942 and has walls with a thickness of 1,1 meters and a roof of 1,4 meters thick. The bunker is 18,35 meters high, 14,06 meters wide and 13,7 meters wide. The bunker contains 28 rooms for 276 beds and 84 seats. The ventilation system and generator are located in the basement.
Allied shock troops reached the city at the beginning of May 1945. Emden had been declared a fortress and defended itself with the German soldiers and anti-aircraft batteries present. The last battles took place on 4 May 1945. 2404 German soldiers lost their lives and 408 civilians were killed by the bombings.

Visit
The bunker on Holzsägerstraße is now a museum. It has stairs and its top levels are not wheelchair accessible. Check the website for opening hours.
This article was co-authored by Kathleen Wagner
This location and all photos were provided by Kathleen Wagner, a civil engineer specialized in refurbishment of buildings. Original structures in her opinion can be best seen in lost places and old structures, which could be calculated by hand as she still learned it. These kind of bunker definitely fall into that category.