The Pallasstbunker
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In the Pallasstraße, near the Kleistpark, there is an old bunker built in the II W.W.
The Pallasstraße is a street that usually you don´t pass by: and if so, maybe your attention will be caught by the „Pallasseum“, a big complex of social houses. So I start asking to myself: what is this building?
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How can a bunker dominate an area?
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My name is Pallasbunker, but usually all the inhabitants call me “The Betonklotz“ – Cement Block -
I was built in the 1943, and had a lot of rest in my life! In the last 40 years I had the impression that maybe someone will use me again, but I am still here and slowly I am disappearing between trees, fences... and the german burocracy.
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In the 1943 the Nazi regime organised the construction of hundreds of bunkers all over Germany, and my function was to protect material and not person. I was built by East-European prisoners and the end of the World let me uncomplete.
The U.S Army tried to destroy me 4 times, but they were able only to detroy me – partially – from the inside! After the ´50 I was let alone and nobody take care of me.
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Since my construction I was never alone: first there was a sport-center, a very big and important one where all kind of events were presented - from the speech of Göbbels, to the music of Frank Zappa –
Then in the ´70 they decided to destroy this palace and build something „Revolutionary“ – A complex of 500 social housing.
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The „Pallaseum“ was a success and after his opening everybody was talking about it, as the West of Berlin needed social houses and needed a new architecture style.
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For sure I was relevant in the planning of the Pallaseum, as they decided that during the Cold War, having a bunker is not a bad idea at all!
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Unfortunally after the initial enthusiasm, it becomes a place wich was at the attention of all the media and institution as a “Hot-Spot”.
This was made by the grow of small criminality, the neglect of a big amount of houses and others factors.
Nowadays with a series of initiative and social politics it seems that the situation is better than it was in the ´90, when they wanted to demolish it.
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As you may understand, I am not living with boring neighbors. But what upset me is that from all the changing I lived, from the ´50 to the ´80 I was never used, maybe just as a lager.
Then in the ´80 they renovate me in order to be able to host up to 4000 persons during the Cold War.
Until in ´90 at some point everybody was speaking about me again!
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In the 1943 I was build by Ukrainian prisoners. The prisoners were staying in the “Sophie-Scholl-School” and in the ´94 a woman who as a children was locked there, wrote a letter to take contact with the school
Starting from this moment, the school realized that it was interesting to know more about it´s and mine history, and up to now they are the only actors using me for workshops, visits and keeping me as a heritage for all the area and the city.
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For example they made a blue line, wich symbolize the way the prisoners were walking from the lager - The school – to come to their „work place“ – me -
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This was a very important moment for me, for example since the 2002 I am a „place of memory“ and since 2011 I am a monument under protection of the Municipality.
This is for sure a big goal for me, but this also means that now it is more difficult to use me or change my – internal and external – shape.
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Here is when they clean me in the 2002
In this days someone was making a storytelling about me, and I saw him speaking with some people passing by or working there.
Also if I am big, the most of the people don´t pay attention at me, or are used that I am there – forgotten by everybody
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“I know nothing about the Bunker and I am not interested"
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“I was never inside and I don´t know nobody that was inside”
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“About 10 years ago there was an art exposition. It was a success, but it was also very difficult to organize in order to respect the fire protection regulation: just groups of 20 visitors were allowed inside, and 10 firefighter had to stay inside during all the hopening hours”
“I was never inside and I don´t know nobody that was inside”
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Den Bunker für die Punker!
In the last years the self-organized young center „Potse and Drugstore“ – wich is under the risk of eviction – asked the municipality to use me for their activities.
The answer was and is negative.
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Also different artist, musicist, organization and private investors asked to use me, but the answer is always negative.
The reasons is that apparently I am to expensive, since I need a lot of intervention and maintenance, and it will be cheaper to build something new instead of repair me – and nobody see the urgency to act as there is no perspective.
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So this is my story, I have a lot of brothers and sisters all over Germany wich are used again for different purpose, but I am here in a „hot spot“ and apparently this is also having some influence.
I just hope that at some point they will find a solution for me, also if it is to expensive!
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And as always, the nature can get everywhere and is taking is space back.