The STASI bunker for the Suhl district is now within the
hotel grounds of the Suhl
Waldhotel Rennsteighöhe,
and public guided tours can be arranged. The bunker (built 1973 - 76) has
the external appearance of and was perhaps disguised as, an ordinary covered
water reservoir. The interior is equipped or re-equipped. Usually
only
maintenance staff were present but it would only have been fully staffed in
times of crisis. Usual NBC and decontamination arrangements are found at
the entrance. Airlock, and numerous compressed air cylinders to maintain
internal overpressure, Steel canister toilets (entirely internal) would have
been used in times of crisis with waste and corpses stored until external
disposal was possible. This was previously a 'genuine' STASI holiday home!
The holiday home image was maintained, within an established game park, and
personnel wore hunting gear as 'cover' Curious glass manometers were noted
on walls The site area c. 40,000 m2 The equipment is not now run,
but is still operable. There was a large room for conferences and
training, with maps on walls. Suhl is close to the old internal German border.
Canisters of chemicals for the 'yellow submarine' air conditioner units were
noted (one taken with permission for chemical analysis) The wording on
chemical canisters is (berech ot goryuchikh i vodi - protect from fuel and
water.)
There is an external sewage plant, which would not have been used in war.
Full staff would have been c. 130. Fresh air was drawn in via an emergency
exit with the top was designed to look like a streetlight! Flexible
silver-coloured tubes were to be used to connect compressed air cylinders to
the internal ventilation systems if needed. Air pressure balancing (cf.
manometers) was necessary for the operation of air locks and maintaining
internal overpressure. Electricity was normally drawn from the DDR
National Grid but there were no meters!
A 'bicycle' was again to be used only to assist air circulation not to
generate electricity. The bunker was upgraded in 1987. Dormitory and
kitchen areas were never used with maintenance staff eating and sleeping in
the surface buildings. The bunker was always kept ready for immediate
operational use. There were two internal emergency power supplies (Diesel
generators), exhausts from which were to be used to warm air intakes. We
were shown a waste storage and mortuary room. Wood shavings would have been
used in the internal toilet canisters Food stocks kept underground were
rotated so fresh (canned) supplies were always available in the bunker.
A separate area (outside the controlled area) was reserved for technical
staff and could be sealed off with separate accommodation for 43 technical
staff with kitchen, toilets and emergency escape (to what!?)
As at Machern, access was through two large sliding hatches inside one of the
surface buildings.
The current hotel owners took over an existing lease and would like to
purchase the entire site.
Waldhotel "Rennsteighöhe"
Am Rothenberg 1
D - 99711 Frauenwald / Rennsteig
Tel: +49 (0)36782 62200
Fax: +49 (0)36782 62201
E-Mail:
waldhotel.rennsteighoehe@t-online.de