Pauli bunker in Hamburg, Germany, has been a prominent feature of the city's skyline for over eight decades.
Constructed using forced labor during Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, it stands as a stark reminder of Germany's darkest historical chapter. However, this concrete giant has undergone an unexpected transformation.
The revitalized Hamburg Bunker now houses two restaurants, a five-story Hard Rock Hotel, and a newly constructed pyramid-shaped rooftop bar and garden, with lush greenery cascading down its concrete facade.
The REVERB by Hard Rock is a fitting addition to a city renowned for its rich musical heritage, considering this is where The Beatles launched their career in the early 1960s.
The bunker is located in the trendy Karoviertel neighborhood, known for its stylish coffee shops, vintage stores, and the Knust nightclub, housed in a former slaughterhouse.
Accommodation and amenities
Rooms at the 134-key REVERB start at 180 euros for a classic room, featuring amenities such as a 55-inch flat-screen TV and Alexa in-room assistant. Suites with panoramic city views are priced at 269 euros.
The hotel also boasts modern features expected of any trendy establishment, including self-check-in kiosks, smart technology, and co-working spaces.
Guests aren't the only ones who can enjoy the bunker's offerings. The ground floor houses the Constant Grind coffee shop and bar, along with a Rock Shop for Hard Rock merchandise.
Bar-restaurant Karo & Paul, helmed by German celebrity chef Frank Rosin, opened its bar in April 2024, occupying the first three levels. The restaurant section is slated to open soon.
The fifth floor is home to La Sala restaurant, Spanish for "living room," offering breathtaking views and a diverse international menu.
Finally, the rooftop features the Green Beanie roof garden, complete with a bar and walkway encircling the building, accessible to the public free of charge.
Confronting the past
The Hamburg bunker was one of eight flak towers – above-ground anti-aircraft bunkers that also served as air raid shelters – built by Germany following British air raids on Berlin in 1940.
The Hamburg Bunker carries a heavy historical burden, but a 76,000-tonne concrete behemoth with 2.5-meter-thick walls cannot be easily demolished or forgotten.
The only flak tower to be completely destroyed is one at Berlin's zoo, as the others are located in densely populated areas where the required explosives pose too significant a risk, according to AFP reports.
"The idea of increasing the building's height with greenery was to introduce a peaceful and positive element to this massive block remaining from the Nazi dictatorship," Anita Engels, from the Hilldegarden neighborhood association, which supported the project, told AFP.
The association has contributed to this new chapter in the Hamburg flak tower's history by gathering testimonies from wartime bunker residents and records of the hundreds of forced laborers involved in its construction.
An exhibition on the first floor now presents the complete history of the building.
