At a time of rising tensions in the Middle East and between Russia and NATO, several European countries have been boosting their civil defenses by also reviving their bunker infrastructure to protect civilians from a potential attack. Greece, a country that World War II left in ruins, already has a vast network of public bomb shelters, yet very few would be useful today.
Recently, Germany announced that it is compiling a list of bunkers that could be utilized as emergency shelters. It designated public buildings, subway stations, car parks, and private buildings as safe areas in the case that civilians would need emergency protection.
Germany, a country of 84 million, has 579 bunkers that can shelter nearly half a million people, down from the previous 2,000 that existed. Most date back to the Second World War and the Cold War era.
Switzerland maintains around 370,000 shelters, including 360,000 private shelters and approximately 9,000 public facilities. Together, these provide protection for more than 8.7 million people, exceeding the country’s population.
These shelters aren’t neglected relics – they undergo regular inspections and maintenance. Ventilation systems are tested, water supplies checked, and emergency equipment verified to ensure operational readiness if ever needed.
Sweden recently announced it was investing 385 million kronor ($36 million) to bolster its bomb shelters, emergency services, and civil defense, as Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Sweden’s civil defense minister, told reporters that “security has been deteriorating for a long time.” According to Bohlin, the funds, among other things, would be used to restore bomb shelters, help the healthcare system build up medicine stocks, and secure drinking water supplies.
Authorities in Latvia, in April 2024, urged residents to use this year’s “Big Clean-Up Day” to turn basements into air-raid shelters. Gints Reinsons, head of capital Riga civil defense commission, said that “the basements of schools, retirement homes, hospitals, public buildings and town halls will be inspected by authorities who will prepare them to serve as hiding places in the event of an attack.”
Greece and its many underground bomb shelters, most remaining dormant
Greece began building underground shelters in 1936, when the dark clouds of World War II started engulfing Europe. Their construction ended in 1956. Within a few years, there were over 5,000 bunkers that had been erected. Konstantinos Kyrimis, a researcher and writer of books on bunkers, said in speaking to the Nea newspaper that, during that time, when bunkers were being massively constructed, each one was built under strict guidelines that designated, among other things, the thickness of the walls, materials, and types of rooms. Airtight doors were also required.
There are many underground air-raid shelters remaining across the country from the island of Crete to the northern city of Thessaloniki dating back to the Second World War era. Most are either abandoned or dilapidated.
Though there are no official records of the public shelters, an article published in the Greek daily Ethnos in 1999 claimed about 200 remained, most on the verge of collapse. Those in Athens were never used because the Greek capital was never bombed during World War II.
Yet, in recent months, Giorgos Karantinos, deputy mayor of civil defense and head of the Office of Political Defense at the Heraklio Municipality on the island of Crete, said in speaking to Creta TV that they have been ordered to register and equip the existing bunkers in the area.
“We have to organize them and equip them,” he said. “If they need to be equipped with blankets, dry food, we will do it.” The municipality of Heraklio was one of the first in the country to establish a Political Defense Office in 2023 after the war in Ukraine broke out.
At the same time, under the 424 General Military Hospital in Thessaloniki, there is an ultra-modern hospital and nuclear bunker that can sustain any nuclear or biochemical attack. It is equipped with eight operating rooms, kitchens, and dining halls and has water and fuel tanks that can keep the bunker operational for several days, according to reports.
The shelters in Athens and Attica
Downtown Athens was flooded with bunkers during World War II. Researcher Konstantinos Kyrimis says some are found on the most central streets of the capital, such as Voukourestiou, Ermou, Voulis, even under the Ministry of Finance, with a capacity of 400 people. “There is no spot in central Athens without big bunkers,” he adds.
An emblematic underground shelter was located on the Hill of Ardittos and had the largest central chamber in Attica. It was built in 1936 and could house approximately 1,300 people. It now remains abandoned.
The Lycabettus Hill bunker was built in 1936 and extends to a depth of 100 meters (328 feet) in the rock. It is larger and in better condition than the more famous shelter of Ardittos. Though it has signs of wear and tear, it is generally well preserved and even has power, bathrooms, and baths. During the occupation, it was used by the Germans while after the liberation, it remained in operation until 1970. After that time, it was then abandoned.
In downtown Athens around Syntagma Square, there are bunkers under the prominent Grande Bretagne Hotel, the Bank of Greece, the Ethniki Asfalistiki building, and the Old Supreme Court Building. The Ethniki Asfalistiki bunker was the most modern of all, built by famous civil engineers Andreas Kriezis and Emmanouil Metaxas. It had airtight, metal doors, and the two floors were connected with a staircase.
Several other shelters were located in the port city of Piraeus, in the northern suburbs of the capital, as well as in the south of Athens, which was sparsely populated in the 1930s.
Greece’s historic WWII bomb shelters in Thessaloniki
Deep down under the Gennimatas General Hospital in Thessaloniki, there is a secret shelter from the time of the Nazis. It is made of concrete and iron and has toilets and emergency exits. It was used by the Germans as an underground hospital. Today, it is where the Gennimatas Hospital stores its archives.
A few kilometers outside Thessaloniki, there is another historical bunker, situated under the American College “Anatolia.” This served as a Nazi command center, built 20 meters underground. It has been preserved to this day but cannot be used in a case of emergency.
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