Bunker 5001 is one of the most advanced and complex bunkers of the Soviet Bloc from the Cold War era. It was codenamed Pearl, but is perhaps best known as the Honecker Bunker as it would have housed Erich Honecker, then Chairman of the National Defence Council (NVR) of the GDR.
It was one of a small group of bunkers under the 5000 series, built as part of Investment Programme 17. Other bunkers in the group included leadership, communication, transmission and news functions. 5001 was built between 1978 and 1983 and is spread over three floors. Within are an impressive 170 rooms, giving a usable area of c 7,500 square metres of floorspace.
Access was by a long corridor from the basement area of a nearby three-storey office building, not unlike the concealment for the UK ROTOR Programme bunkers. The building’s cover was a weather reserach or measurement centre - codenamed Hilfsmesszentrale 3 or auxiliary measurement centre 3.
The list of functions within the bunker is immense. There were decontamination facilities, air handling, emergency power, filtration, water supply, canteens and dormitories,washrooms, a broadcasting studio and even a photographic darkroom. The complex was protected by closed circuit television and vibration monitors.
Most impressively, all of the major functions such as power, telephone exchange and ventilation, were mounted on hydraulics or suspended on springs so that they were protected to a large extent from shock waves. The complex would have supported around 350 people.
On the reunification of Germany, the bunker was taken over by the armed forces and many of the surface features were demolished. The bunker was sealed in 1993 but access was allowed for a special Sub Brit visit in 2003 after which the bunker was resealed. There were numerous visits by bunker enthusiasts, some of who attempted to regain entry. The site was open for booked visits during 2008, after this the entrance passages were finally sealed with concrete.
The bunker has protected status but today remains off limits.