Bunker WH 316

Useful Information

Location:	Stummstraße 7, 66130 Saarbrücken. (49.2188036, 7.0323648)
Open:	All year Sat by arrangement, with two weeks’ notice. Whitsun weekend, Open Monuments Day 10–16. [2026]
Fee:	free. [2026]
Classification:	World War II Bunker Westwall
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Förderverein Bunker WH 316 e.V., Stummstraße 7, 66130 Saarbrücken. Mark Müller, Tel: +49-173-9817547. E-mail: Jörg Fuhrmeister, Tel: +49-6842-53305. 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

1939	Bunker built.
1944	Bunker expanded to include a double-ring stand.
1986	Demonstration bunker of the Interfest e.V.
2006	operated by the non-profit Förderverein Bunker WH 316 e.V.

Description

Bunker WH 316 in Saarbrücken is not only a well-preserved bunker from the Westwall, it is also a bunker museum, with its rooms used to display typical equipment from that era. This ranges from beds and kitchen utensils to ammunition boxes and bullet casings of all sizes, as well as tools. The bunker has been run since 2006 by an association which, whilst it does not have fixed opening hours, offers guided tours on Saturdays for individual visitors by arrangement, subject to two weeks’ notice. In addition, there are two dates each year on which the bunker can be visited without prior booking: over the Whitsun weekend and on Heritage Open Days. However, the bunker was first opened to the public back in 1986, as a demonstration bunker run by Interfest e.V. We were unable to ascertain what this means, we can only quote the information from the website. Interfest e.V. describes itself as a study group for international fortifications, military engineering and defensive structures. Its primary focus is therefore on research, rather than on the preservation of the structures or making them accessible.

The bunkers of the Westwall are known as ‘Regelbau’, these are bunkers built according to prefabricated plans. This bunker is based on the Regelbau 108b, a machine-gun casemate with flanking defences and a periscope. The Regelbau 108 was built 226 times in total, 161 of which are located in the Saarland. This bunker was manned by one officer, two non-commissioned officers and 10 men. The camouflage plaster was made from cement slurry, wood wool and green paint. The bunker even had its own well, which is 21 metres deep. It was armed with machine guns, for which there was a so-called machine-gun embrasure with a 200 mm thick 78P9 armoured steel plate.

Although the bunker is located within the city of Saarbrücken, it sits on a wooded hill. The outdoor area is open to the public and is well worth a visit. If you are in the area, a visit to the nearby Mithra Cave is also recommended.