The ‘Elephant’ (Elefanten), was a Civil Defence Command Centre for northern Stockholm. It was built between 1972 and 1977 and operational between 1977 and 2000. Its purpose was to control the fire department, home guard, and civil defence personnel in the northern Stockholm area. It would raise the alarm in the evnt of air raids and give orders on how to evacuate civilians.
The ‘Elephant’ together with the ‘Wolf’ in southern Stockholm was the largest and most modern of all Swedish civil defence command centres. In every community in Sweden, approx 250, there was some kind of command centre. In small towns these could be a small bunker for 8 people or a fortified cellar, right up to a two storey mountain bunker in larger cities.
Personnel: Around 80, both men and women. Function: A fully NBC-proof site with all three structures standing on shock absorbers. Three entrances/exits. Self sufficient in water, power, food and air for at least 10 days.