Student-made visitor information videos of St. Pauli bunkerFormer Command Post Becomes Public Garden

30 June 2025, by Christina Krätzig

Photo: CC0

Since its opening, the bunker on Heiligengeistfeld with its “mountain path” and public gardens has drawn a crowd of about 4,000 visitors a day.

The conversion of the former command post and bunker on Heiligengeistfeld has created a sensation. The New York Times, for instance, named Hamburg one of 52 places to go in 2025 when the green bunker kicked off. University of Hamburg students are now creating visitor information videos. Historian Prof. Dr. Birthe Kundrus and media studies expert Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber provide academic support for the project funded through the Knowledge Exchange Fund at Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence.

Prof. Weber, what are the videos about?

Thomas Weber: Four videos will focus on the history of the bunker during the war; the other 3 will deal with its various postwar uses— a period with many facets that are now a fading memory. The NDR, for example, was launched on Heiligengeistfeld. This is where the first Tagesschau and the first north German cooking show were produced, and the first football games at Millerntor Stadium were broadcast. For decades, Hamburg policymakers tried coming to grips with the social housing established in the bunker—beyond feasible options to develop the bunker.

Though being referred to as “the bunker at Heiligengeistfeld,” the colossus was not only build to protect the population, right?

Birthe Kundrus: The building and its counterpart in Wilhelmsburg were erected between 1942 and 1944 as flak towers. Antiaircraft guns were positioned on each of their 4 towers. The flak towers, however, did not proof effective against air raids on the important port of Hamburg. But they helped protect the population: during the biggest aerial bombings in the summer of 1943, it sheltered an estimated 23,000 to 28,000 people in St. Pauli, although the bunker and its radar tower were planned to fit 5,800 people only.

Are you involved in the research into the history of the building?

Birthe Kundrus: We collect material, such as historical photos, and obtain the publishing rights if possible. We also include the latest research into our work. For instance, it was always told that the bunker was mostly built by forced laborers. It just turned out that it was rather built by contract workers, for instance, from Denmark. These were relatively free and could, for example, travel home for Christmas. They had escaped from their German-occupied home countries and the resulting unemployment and restrictions such as food shortage.

What inspired the video project?

Thomas Weber: The nonprofit association Hildegarden e. V. has been advocating a new use of the bunker for the past 10 years, aiming to make it a place of remembrance and learning. They came up with the idea of turning the bunker’s rooftop into a green oasis. However, the rather rapid implementation and the visitor surge pose challenges that Hildegarden could not tackle this on its own. Thus, we offered support through the knowledge exchange project. Our concept includes the production of short videos visitors can watch during their tour. Those eager to learn more details, can explore additional material on a website.

Which tasks do the students undertake in this knowledge exchange project?

Thomas Weber: The media studies and history students have been doing the actual work. They wrote the scripts and are creating the films with the help of researchers and tutors. They present the first results to Hildegarden and, if necessary, must adopt desired changes—it’s just like a job in the real world.

When will the videos and the website be ready?  

Birthe Kundrus: We want to finish the videos by the end of the lecture period. The homepage will be finalized in the winter semester.

Read more information about the Knowledge Exchange Fund here. A share of the funding comes from the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State Governments.