Fuhrerbunker (Hitler's Bunker), Berlin

Once found beneath the garden of the New Reich Chancellery in Berlin, the Führerbunker, a network of fortified concrete chambers, served as the nerve center of the Nazi regime until the final days of World War II in Europe. Having taken up residence in the shelter on 16 January 1945, Hitler celebrated his 56th birthday on April 20 and married Eva Braun 9 there days later, before they both committed suicide on April 30: he with a revolver, she by poison. Allegedly, their lifeless bodies were carried to the Chancellery courtyard and drenched in 200 liters of gasoline, with Nazi supporters saluting as the corpses turned to ashes. Meanwhile, as the Soviet forces raised the red flag atop the Reichstag building, nearly all of the 800 or so bunker occupants made a desperate attempt to escape via railway tunnels in northern Berlin. About a hundred of them managed to succeed, while the remainder either met their demise or were captured.

In the post-war period, both the old and new Chancellery structures were razed by Soviet forces. Despite some attempts at demolition, the subterranean complex remained mostly untouched until 1988–89 when sections of it were uncovered (and mostly destroyed) during the neighborhood's redevelopment as a residential area. The Führerbunker site remained unmarked until 2006 when a small plaque was installed, providing detailed information and a schematic diagram. The bunker's emergency exit point, which once led to the Chancellery gardens, was occupied by a parking lot.