Dispute in Germany over plans to demolish a Nazi bunker near Berlin

Almost nothing remains of the Nazi leader's Chancellery in central Berlin, except for a bunker.

But now it is planned for demolition to make way for apartment buildings and offices.

The new Reich Chancellery building, constructed by Hitler's favorite architect Albert Speer, was severely damaged at the end of World War II and then demolished by order of Soviet troops in 1949.

However, the bunker is still visible on a vacant lot.

Berlin's Senator for Housing, Christian Gaebler (SPD), believes it's time to demolish the structure.

"We are not going to obstruct the construction of new residential complexes just to preserve a bunker that could become a place of pilgrimage," he told the BZ newspaper.

But opponents of this decision say the bunker should be preserved.

Dittmar Arnold, chairman of the Berlin "Underground World" Association, told the BBC that demolishing the bunker would be "absolute madness."

"This is a place associated with criminals," he said. "It was the center of power of Nazi Germany, Hitler's new Reich Chancellery, and these are its last remaining elements."

Arnold wants to collaborate with the Holocaust Museum to turn the site into a museum and memorial with an exhibition dedicated to the end of the war.

"So much history has been destroyed in Germany, both communist and Nazi. We cannot continue to do this," he says.

Arnold last visited the bunker in 2007, and, according to him, it was in very good condition.

He said it is not the more famous Führerbunker, where Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide, which is located approximately 120 meters to the north.

This bunker was used by employees of the Reich Chancellery. At the end of the war, a hospital was established inside the structure.

According to Arnold, 1200 sq. m of the bunker complex remained intact; the thickness of the walls and ceiling is 1.7 m.

He believes it would even be possible to build above them without demolishing the entire bunker.

Last year, the Berlin State Monuments Council criticized the plans to demolish the bunker, which has "significant historical value."

"The New Reich Chancellery was the center of planning and the starting point of World War II, and it also symbolizes the catastrophic end of the Nazi regime," the statement said.

"Given its potential significance as a historical monument, its state of preservation and inclusion in the list of protected buildings should be assessed by the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments," the statement concluded.

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