Pointed bunker Neunkirchen

Pointed bunker Neunkirchen from the north

The Spitzbunker Neunkirchen (also Winkelturm Neunkirchen , air raid tower Neunkirchen , bunker Neunkirchen ) is a listed air raid tower in the Saarland town of Neunkirchen .

history

The former air defense tower was built in 1939/40 by the Franz Brüggemann company from Hamborn. It offered space for 400 people from the nearby Neunkirchen ironworks . In an emergency, however, only German employees had access. In total, more than 200 of these air defense towers were built in the German Reich between 1936 and 1940 , but only three towers were erected in Saarland . The main installation areas were the premises of the Deutsche Reichsbahn and key industrial sites. The bunkers were developed by the Cologne architect Leo Winkel , who applied for a patent for the bunker construction, gave up his position at Thyssen AG and founded his own company. Winkel constructed his bunkers as pointed cones. This shape prevented a bomb penetration. The advantages were easier camouflage options than with conventional bunker systems and the possibility of construction even in difficult soil conditions. In addition, the construction costs were lower.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the city of Neunkirchen had the pointed bunker extensively renovated and made accessible.

architecture

View from the south

Image wanted

The air protection tower in Neunkirchen belongs to planning type 2c. The outer skin is made of reinforced concrete. Inside, nine floors are laid out around a central wooden staircase. The main and emergency exits are opposite each other. The main entrance leads via a wooden staircase to the third floor, the emergency exit from the second floor leads down to the site. From the furnishings, the wooden benches that match the outer wall, a toilet and wall inscriptions have been preserved. The bunkers were ventilated via gas-tight, lockable pipe sockets in the outer walls of the floors. Fans took care of the air distribution, the exhaust air could escape via an exhaust air duct on the seventh floor in the outer wall. On the ninth floor there was an intake line for fresh air with a filter made of activated carbon, on the eighth floor there was a shelter ventilator with a fan connection. One could observe the surroundings via a periscope in the tip. The cooling water from a 1200 HP diesel engine in the machine house of the ironworks heated the bunker tower.