ah, ah, ah, ah, staying alive, staying alive...

August 2, 2008 8:09 AM

Remember Dr. Strangelove's brilliant plan for the survival of the human race? Well, ol' Erich Honecker, leader of the former East Germany, had a little something kinda like that, for himself and about, oh, 400 of his dearest friends, deep underground, just north of Berlin. And now you can see it!
posted by flapjax at midnite (21 comments total)

These are depressingly common. Consider the Diefenbunker, which you can tour. The US had one (but I couldn't find a quick and convenient link, and I don't think you can tour it, anyway).

It seems like the sort of thing where government officials will get to play house for a few years months, then...well, Aunty Entity??
posted by MrGuilt at 8:39 AM on August 2, 2008

That's pretty cool, but this makes me sad:

The bunker, north of Berlin, will be open for three months.

The Berlin city authorities say they will seal it with concrete afterwards.

I woulda liked to take a look someday.

Also, "Mein Führer! I can walk!" used to be my error message sound on an old Windows machine.
posted by danb at 8:45 AM on August 2, 2008

The Berlin city authorities say they will seal it with concrete afterwards.

Awesome! Then all you have to do is build a secret tunnel, spend a couple of weeks chipping into the structure, then ouila, a free castle to call your own.
posted by crapmatic at 8:50 AM on August 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

At least they didn't have a mine shaft gap.
posted by Afroblanco at 8:51 AM on August 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

They are missing a huge opportunity to lease this out as a movie set......
posted by HuronBob at 9:03 AM on August 2, 2008

And I bet they wouldn't have been into denying the women their essence, either.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 9:09 AM on August 2, 2008

Found the US Congress version, Project Greek Island, in the Greenbrier Resort (West Virginia). Yes, you can tour it.
posted by MrGuilt at 9:20 AM on August 2, 2008

General "Buck" Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?

Dr. Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious... service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.

Ambassador de Sadesky: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.
posted by furtive at 9:39 AM on August 2, 2008

It's a lot less stylish than the Swedish 1970s one. Armageddon has never been groovier.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 9:59 AM on August 2, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

The Central Emergency Government Headquarters, or Diefenbunker (mentioned in the first comment), is Canada's version, and the most fascinating museum I've ever visited. The size of the place is astonishing, for something that was supposed to be constructed in secret. It included food and sleep facilities, of course, but also a miniature CBC studio and an enormous vault to store all the gold reserves from the Bank of Canada.

There's no doubting, however, that life in the bunker would have been extremely miserable. The Governor General's suite, by far the most luxurious of the personal accommodations, is probably around a hundred square feet.

My grandfather, a government-employed doctor in Ottawa, had a spot reserved for him in the bunker. He would have been responsible for tending to the medical needs of the MPs and other occupants. Of course, there was no room for his (my) family to come with him.
posted by Clandestine Outlawry at 10:10 AM on August 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I sure hope they stocked up on water chips.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:31 AM on August 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Du sagst, "bunker," ich sage, "TOMB!"
posted by not_on_display at 10:34 AM on August 2, 2008

So why would it be so great to survive in a crappy, depressing bunker as opposed to a quick fry-up topside?
posted by maxwelton at 11:13 AM on August 2, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

So, maxwelton, you'd be interested in trading me your spot in the bunker?
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:34 AM on August 2, 2008

Wow.
posted by nola at 12:24 PM on August 2, 2008

Pope Guilty, let me see how many hotties show up. I've sent out all the invites. Problem is, all the hotties I know now are friend's daughters, which makes this whole thing kind of awkward.
posted by maxwelton at 12:35 PM on August 2, 2008

Incredible. Thanks for posting this.
posted by autodidact at 2:33 PM on August 2, 2008

Awesome! Then all you have to do is build a secret tunnel, spend a couple of weeks chipping into the structure, then ouila, a free castle to call your own.
posted by crapmatic at 8:50 AM on August 2

The problem is all that pesky reinforced concrete, very hard to chip through 4 ft thick of concrete that is crisscrossed by multiple layers of 3 inch rebars.
posted by Vindaloo at 5:23 PM on August 2, 2008

Vindaloo: As with all problems in life, the answer is LASERS
posted by blasdelf at 6:44 PM on August 2, 2008

Can any readers more perceptive than me figure out how one can rsvp? I'd love to have a chance to see this. Thanks for any tips!
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 7:19 PM on August 2, 2008

foxy_hedgehog,

Did you try this web page or the UK phone number listed there? Sounds like the Tough Guy Tour for 100 euros is the ticket to go for.
posted by lukemeister at 7:37 AM on August 3, 2008