Bunkermuseum Frauenwald

Ausweichführungsstelle der Bezirksverwaltung Suhl des Ministeriums für Staatssicherheit (MfS)

Useful Information

Location:	Im Hotel Waldhotel "Rennsteighöhe", in Frauenwald/Rennsteig. (50.606279, 10.846641)
Open:	APR to NOV daily 9:30-17:30. NOV to DEC daily 11-15. DEC to MAR daily 9:30-16:30. Reservation mandatory. [2026]
Fee:	Normale Führung: Adults EUR 15, Children (6-11) EUR 8, Children (6-11) EUR 5, Children (0-5) fre1, Students EUR 8, Disabled EUR 10. Ausführliche Museumsführung: Up to 3 persons flat-rate EUR 80, additional persons EUR 25. Übernachten im Museum: Adults EUR 129. [2026]
Classification:	Secret Bunker
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	Ar=3,600 m²
Guided tours:	Normale Führung: D=70 min. Ausführliche Museumsführung: D=3 h. Übernachten im Museum: D=16 h, Min=4, MinAge=16.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Waldhotel "Rennsteighöhe", Am Rothenberg 1, 98711 Frauenwald/Rennsteig, Tel: +49-36782-62200. 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

1972	Bunker started.
1985	Bunker completed.
2004	Bunker museum opened.

Description

This bunker was intended to serve as the Ausweichführungsstelle der Bezirksverwaltung Suhl des Ministeriums für Staatssicherheit (MfS) (alternative command centre for the Suhl district administration of the Ministry for State Security). And whilst that was its official name at the time, the code name Trachtenfest was usually used. The name Bunkermuseum Rennsteig (Rennsteig Bunker Museum) was new, it was derived from the neighbouring Rennsteig, or probably from the Waldhotel Rennsteighöhe. The former military site was liquidated by the Federal Property Administration, the hotel operator bought it without further ado and converted it into a museum. In the meantime, however, the bunker has been renamed the Bunkermuseum Frauenwald (Frauenwald Bunker Museum) because it is located within the boundaries of the village of Frauenwald. It should be noted that neither of these are historical names.

This is one of at last 15 bunkers of the Stasi on the area of the former DDR (German Democratic Republic). It lies on (or better under) the grounds of the hotel Waldhotel "Rennsteighöhe". This bunker was built so secretly, that not even neighbours knew it existed. To make this possible, a military holiday residence was built nearby, and several concrete transports were redirected into the forest to build the bunker.

All in all a typical nuclear bunker from the Cold War, able to ensure the survival of a crew of 42 men for up to one year. In case of atomic radiation or the usage of chemical weapons the bunker could provide six to eight days of security. The bunker could be sealed airtight and machines would produce oxygene to make it absolutely autarchic. But this situation was considered very unlikely, because of the remote location. The bunker was planned as a so called Führungsbunker (Command Bunker), by the Ministeriums für Staatssicherheit (MfS - Ministry of the Interior), infamous for their spying of the own people. It was the local headquarters for the local government of Suhl. As a headquarters, the bunker should provide shelter for the staff of the MfS and govern the county of Suhl. The bunker was well-equipped with modern telecommunication equipment, own power supply, telephone, teleprinter, radio technology and spying equipment. Anti radiation overalls, showers for detoxication, power supply, tanks, and air condition are still there but most of them do not work any more.

An astonishing aspect of a bunker visit is the sobering discernment, that neither the efficiency nor the comfort of such a bunker is comparable to western bunkers. The golden water taps, presumed by the GDR people did not exist and the feared russian weapon technology neither. The visit is a Gruseltour (scary tour), even called so by today's administrator.

The museum is now extremely well-equipped and professionally run. However, it does not have fixed opening hours, mainly because, due to its size and layout, the Bunker Museum can only be visited as part of 70-minute guided tours. The opening times listed above therefore refer to the times when a guided tour is, in principle, possible, booking in advance and arranging a specific time are absolutely essential. The meeting point is the reception of the Waldhotel Rennsteighöhe. In addition to the standard guided tours, there is also the Ausführliche Museumsführung (in-depth museum tour), which is particularly aimed at bunker and technology enthusiasts, as well as photographers. It lasts up to three hours and is considerably more expensive. However, it gives photographers plenty of time to take as many photos as they like.

And finally, there is the Reality Erlebnis: Übernachten im Museum (Reality Experience: Spending the Night in the Museum). This is not simply an overnight stay in a bunker; it is a 16-hour programme that realistically demonstrates the situation faced by NVA soldiers during the GDR era. You arrive in the evening, settle into your accommodation with its three-tiered camp beds, and then help with the cooking in the kitchen. The food is typical of the NVA. Afterwards, the basic training begins; then the bunker is explored; the ‘bedtime story’ is the highlight, but we won’t reveal what it is. Finally, the guard rota is organised. After the wake-up call, morning exercises, the changing of the guard and tidying the bunker, participants are given the opportunity to freshen up in the hotel’s sauna area and enjoy breakfast at the hotel.