This is one of the air raid shelters built in the Voslapp district of Wilhelmshaven, a German naval port during World War Two. Numerous Turmbunker were built in this city, these round tower like structures defended civilians against allied air raids on the harbor.
Until shortly before Wilhelmshaven’s surrender, the “Reichssender Hamburg”, a German radio news sender, broadcast from this Luftschutz tower. Immediately before the surrender, the transmitters were moved to the nearby Voslapper sea dike and prepared for destruction in the event of the enemy advancing. Broadcasting continued almost immediately until the handover of Wilhelmshaven on May 6, 1945.
A special feature of this tower, in contrast to the other bunkers in this series, was its staircase in the middle. The second Voslapper air raid tower on Hunrichsstrasse may also have been constructed in this way. The two towers were the first of the series in 1943, and later it was decided to run the staircases along the outer shell. Additional protection was achieved through the concrete stairwell wall to the inner levels and the staircase for those seeking protection was far less spiral-shaped than here at least in the Baugrodenstrasse tower and possibly also the Hunrichsstrasse tower.
After the war, a furniture store and grocery store were temporarily housed in the south porch and ground floor. In the 1960s there were plans to install a water storage tank on the tower. A new water tower would have been created. The tower would have been twice as tall as the original. But the plans were dropped.
Visit
The luftschutz Rundturm Voslapp at this location is private property (2018), and closed for visitors.
