Koldkrigsmuseet REGAN Vest

Useful Information

Location:	Røde Møllevej 26, 9520 Skørping. (56.823712, 9.801189)
Open:	All year daily 9:30-20. Online booking mandatory. [2023]
Fee:	Adults DKK 270. [2023]
Classification:	Secret Bunker
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	Ar=1,200 m².
Guided tours:	Max=10, MinAge=12.
Photography:	not allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Poul Holt Pedersen, Karsten Hvam Pedersen (2022): Secret nuclear government bunkers, REGAN VEST & how NATO prepared for World War III, 269 pages, 350 photosK 298. On sale at the museum, available as ebook on amazon. Karsten Pedersen, Poul Pedersen (2009): Danmarks dybeste hemmelighed
Address:	Koldkrigsmuseet REGAN Vest, Røde Møllevej 26, 9520 Skørping, Tel: +45-99-31-74-00. North Jutland Museums, Algade 48, 9000 Aalborg, Tel: +45-99-31-74-00. 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

1963	construction of the bunker.
1966	entrance building completed.
1969	bunker completed.
2010	last caretaker moves out of the house.
2012	bunker decommissioned, secrecy ended.
2023	museum opened to the public.

Description

Koldkrigsmuseet REGAN Vest (Cold War Museum REGAN Vest) is located inside a Cold War bunker and in a newly built museum on the ground. It was hidden in Rold Skov (Rold Forest) in Northern Jutland, 60 m below ground. The bunker was intended for the government, officials and the royal family in the event of a nuclear war. From here the government was to rule the country in the event that the cold war suddenly became hot. It was big enough to support 350 people. The camouflage for the entrance was an unsuspicious yellow brick villa, a typical Danish home. The caretaker of the bunker actually lived in the house.

The museum opening was planned for the end of 2022. But it was postponed because of bats hibernating in the underground tunnels. It was now opened, but we are actually not sure if this means that the museum will be closed every winter. European bat protection law forbids the entering of bat caves, no matter if they are natural or artificial. If you intend to visit the museum during winter you should definitely checkt their website first. Actually it is necessary to book tickets online, there are no tickets sold on site, so if there are tickets in the ticket.

It seems the bats are only a sort of diversionary attempt, the museum is only partly completed. Only the bunker itself is open to the public by now. The other two parts, the visitor center and museum, and the house of the caretaker are not completed.

The house of the caretaker was both, a camouflage and the home of the caretaker and his family. A typical small house, like millions in Denmark, with definitely not a single exceptional detail, except for the vast basement in the backyard. The living space of the caretaker is also quite ordinary, except probably for the fact that he had a quite tiny commute to work. The idea was security by absolute secrecy. As he lived there with his family all family members had to keep the secret. Today the house is furnished like a home in 1980, and visitors can explore the home, sit on the furniture while watching TV, or play the TV game Pong. But the important part is actually the interviews with former inhabitants, which tell about living in the house with the big secret bunker and the Cold War.

A few years ago there was an architecture competition which was won by architect Anders Tyrrestrup of MAA Aarhus. The plan is four black concrete boxes which will contain the ticket office and the museum. One wall is opened by a hydraulic system, which allows sunlight to shine in. Its closed not only during the night or storms, it is actually a part of a system which allows the simulation of an atomic war. The windows are closed and the virtual alternative of the actual surroundings, as they would look like after a nuclear war, is shown. The exhibition begins with a quick overview of the international events that shaped the Cold War. The parts of the exhibition are set up as islands that can be visited independently. The exhibitions also includes a Cold War cinema with short films and reports of the time.

The underground tour takes 90 minutes, and shows all important rooms and functions. The bunker is entered through a ribbed entrance tunnel, the design was intended for nuclear protection. Then the there are massive pressure doors, followed by the room with the diesel generators. The internal guard was for the security among the people inside, next is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' meeting room, the communications department and medical ward were the workplaces of technical personnel which had to ensure that the facility and everyday life functioned. The government's situation room was the domain of the politicians. Then the regent's room explains the regent's role in the bunker. The next stop is the air intake and ventilation where air from outside was cleaned from radioactive substances. The ventilation shafts were also emergency exits. The daily life is represented by bedrooms, kitchen, food and storage, living room, and the cafeteria and canteen.

We are not sure why they have so many restrictions in place. It's not allowed to eat your own sandwich in the visitor center, children are not allowed, and it is not allowed to take pictures. They apologize quite politely before they tell you what you can't do. For a site which was constructed, maintained, and finally transformed into a museum with tax money, they are quite harsh with their financiers.

Most cold war bunkers in the world were decommissioned by the government in the 1990s, this bunker was operated rather long. The secrecy started to crumble in the 2000s, with the publication of the book Danmarks dybeste hemmelighed (Denmark's deepest secret) in 2009. The development of the bunker for the public was first suggested by Rebildcentret from nearby Thingbæk Kalkminer. At that time the bunker was actually decommissioned and the people which were involved were free to speak about the site. Rebildcentret was able to find 30 people who were involved in the construction and interview them about the undocumented events. They also created a cold war exhibition and an exhibition about this bunker, which are both much better than anything Nordjylland's Historical Museum has so far created at the bunker. At least for the near future it is advisable to combine any bunker tour with a visit to Thingbæk, which may be visited without prebooking.