Westwallmuseum Konz

Useful Information

Location:	Granastraße 25, 54329 Konz. Eingang durch den Hinterhof, beschildert. (49.6993037, 6.5720220)
Open:	MAR to OCT 2. and 4. Sun 14-18. [2023]
Fee:	free. [2023]
Classification:	World War II Bunker Westwall
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Sascha Berweiler, Valdenaire-Ring 87a, 54329 Konz, Tel: +49-178-88-170-14. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1937	built as part of the Pioneer Program 1937 in Ausbaustufe B1.
JUN-2014	bunker purchased by the current owners.
08-MAY-2015	Bunkermuseum opened to the public.

Description

The Westwall Museum Konz is located inside a bunker of the Westwall. It was built as part of the Pioneer Programme in 1937 in Ausbaustufe B1, which means a wall thickness of 1 m and a ceiling thickness of 80 cm. In contrast to the standardized Regelbauten (regular buildings), this was a special construction. It originally consisted of 4 rooms: gas lock, crew room for 5 soldiers, ammunition room and an attached fighting room. The bunker was only armed with one MG 34. Due to its unusual location in a garden behind residential houses in the town of Konz, it was called the Villa Gartenlaube (Gazebo) by the crew.

The fighting compartment was rendered unusable by the Americans at the beginning of 1945 by blowing out the 5P7 embrasure plate and the ceiling. The rest was then removed in 1963. In the 1950s and 60s, the bunker was used by local residents as a wood store for their wood-burning stoves. After the heating was switched to oil, the bunker was closed and forgotten. When the emergency exit was sealed with a wooden panel, the bunker was completely sealed. Fir trees and ivy were planted along the bunker wall. In the 1970s, a workshop was set up in the building in front of the bunker. A heavy machine was placed in front of the remaining armoured door, which meant that it could no longer be opened. The joints rusted shut. When the machine was removed in the 1990s, the door could no longer be opened. It was therefore sealed with concrete.

The current owners, the Berweiler family, became aware of the bunker in 2012. They applied to the Federal Real Estate Agency (BImA) to purchase the bunker. However, they had already begun to uncover the bunker again, cutting down the trees and exposing the ceiling. After they became the official owners in 2014, they removed rubbish and dirt from inside the bunker. The bunker museum opened just one year later.

The museum consists of the facility itself, the original equipment and various special exhibitions. In 2023, these included the photo exhibition The Region under the Swastika, 78 Years of Liberation Konz, Civilians in the Bombing War, Relics from the Past and Medical Care in the Field. Several special exhibitions are organized throughout the year. The dates for the special exhibitions are publicized on Facebook.