Zivilschutz-Bunker Helgoland

Description

On the North Sea island of Helgoland, Museum Helgoland links natural history collections with presentations of the local history and is aimed at visitors interested in the environment and island culture.

The institution operates under the umbrella of the Stiftung Nordseemuseum Helgoland, which was founded in 1996, and is centrally located on the island. Its collecting practice reaches far back historically: a first museum opened as early as 1899 but was lost on 18 October 1944; at that time Heinrich Gätke’s bird collection was regarded as the main attraction.

In its modern form the museum was run for years by dedicated local history enthusiasts and experienced various phases of management, with scientific direction during certain periods. Since 2006 the facilities have been spatially expanded: a museum courtyard with thematically designed lobster huts and a wooden lighthouse complements the indoor displays; the museum also shows a replica of the Helgoländer Steinkiste.

From 2020 the foundation expanded the programme with a historical bunker project. In addition to the civil defence bunker in the Oberland, which for some time had only been accessible as part of guided tours, a bunker tunnel in the Unterland was refurbished; around 200 metres of the former system were prepared for exhibition use and opened in early December 2022. The museum thus conveys both natural history and aspects of the island’s wartime and everyday history.