Heike Hollunder

For over 40 years, photography was strictly prohibited at the most secret building of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was only with the cessation of its function and the lifting of its secrecy through the cabinet decision on December 9, 1997, that the facility became accessible to outsiders. Just four years later, the government bunker was largely erased in an unprecedented dismantling action, with only a small section preserved as a documentation site. In this regard, the photographs of the former government bunker provide a unique testament to the shelter of the German government during the Cold War. Captured as a historical memory, they allow the viewer to immerse themselves in the everyday reality of an impending nuclear war. The photographs presented here document the history of the government bunker from its construction period through its operational phase to its dismantling and the establishment of the documentation site.