The tunnels, intended to be converted into elite bunkers for the wealthy, were built during World War II by prisoners detained in a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. These tunnels are located about 200 kilometers southwest of Berlin, near the town of Halberstadt.
Around 7.000 forced laborers were imprisoned in the camp, more than half of whom died while digging the 13-kilometer-long tunnel system, where the Nazis produced aircraft during the final phase of the war.
Today, a memorial center at the nearby Langenstein-Zwieberge camp honors the victims and survivors, including French prisoner of war Louis Bertrand. After the war, Bertrand dreamed of a “ring of remembrance” path circling the underground network where thousands perished, according to his 72-year-old son Jean-Louis Bertrand. He is outraged and appalled by the plan to turn the sacred site into “the world’s largest private bunker.”
The proposed underground complex, resistant even to nuclear radiation, currently exists only as a series of photographs on a website. The shelter for wealthy clients is envisioned to include a clinic, school, workshop, playroom, bar, gym, spa, and artificial sunrises and sunsets. The apartments are described as resembling “luxury yacht accommodations,” with food provided through indoor mushroom cultivation. To secure access to the shelter, wealthy clients are invited to purchase cryptocurrency called BunkerCoins. According to estimates, one room in the bunker would cost around half a million euros.
The director of the Langenstein-Zwieberge memorial site, Gero Fedtke, has called the luxury bunker project unacceptable and labeled it an “inappropriate way of handling the historical legacy of the tunnels.”
The entrepreneur behind the controversial plan is Peter Karl Jugl, who, according to German media, was previously linked to far-right circles. Jugl’s company, Global Project Management, describes itself as specializing in acquiring “problematic properties.”
In 2019, Jugl purchased the tunnel from a bankruptcy administrator after it had previously served as a munitions storage facility. Jugl has stated that he does not understand the “drama” surrounding the project and feels unfairly treated and criticized.
“I am building a facility to save human lives in emergencies,” Jugl said. He also argued that the underground facilities have no connection to the concentration camp, which is located two kilometers from the infamous site, Klix.ba writes.
Photos: Bunkercoin
