Bunker Körnerstraße

The bunker on Körnerstraße in Cologne is a historically significant structure built in 1942 as part of the so-called Führer-Sofortprogramm (the Führer's emergency program). It stands on the property at Körnerstraße 113a, an adjacent lot that previously belonged to a British citizen. Contrary to popular belief, the bunker does not stand on the former site of the Ehrenfeld Synagogue, which stood just a few yards away at Körnerstraße 93. The structure has been protected as a cultural monument since 1995. Today the high-rise bunker serves as a place for historical reflection and cultural use, run by the association Förderkreis Hochbunker Körnerstraße 101, which works to preserve the site and share its history.

In the bunker's foyer, you can see a detailed wooden model of the former Ehrenfeld Synagogue, which was consecrated in 1927 and designed by the architect Robert Stern. The model recalls the Jewish house of worship, which was destroyed during the November pogroms of 1938, leaving only its exterior walls standing. Architecturally, the synagogue was distinguished by a remarkable tented dome above an octagonal prayer hall and a richly symbolic interior painting scheme, ranging from shades of red to an eight-pointed star at the top of the dome. Alongside the model, part of the memorial trail "1000 Sinti und Roma" in the bunker provides information about the deportations of these groups from Cologne during the Nazi era.

The history of the site is closely tied to the fate of the Jewish community in Ehrenfeld, which grew rapidly in the 1920s and was eventually able to build its own synagogue. After its destruction in 1938, the remains of the walls were leveled in 1950, and the property stayed undeveloped for a long time, until an apartment building with a day care center was built there in the late 1990s. During construction, the foundations of the synagogue and the mikveh were uncovered. The new building now incorporates discreet memorial elements, such as a mural and stones set into the ground that mark the synagogue's floor plan, though these details cannot be seen from the outside. The bunker thus serves as a central place that keeps alive the memory of Jewish history and the Nazi era in this part of the city.