Aalens forgotten air raids: do we need them again?

Aalens forgotten air raids: do we need them again?

In Aalen, the reactivation of air -raid shelter is currently being discussed, which were built during the Second World War. According to an article by Schwäbische Post increased. While many of these tunnels have been developed in the past and largely abandoned, interest in their condition and functionality seems to be increasing.

In Germany there are currently 579 public shelters that offer space for around 480,000 people. These numbers prove the relative lack of ready -to -use shelves in the country. However, the disaster protection authority in Aalen can currently not provide any precise information about how many of the existing shelters are still functional. Most of the shelter from the time of the Cold War were already developed in 2007, and only after the beginning of the Ukraine War did the processing of the existing shelter were stopped, such as Federal Office for Population Protection and Disaster Aid reported.

history of the Aalen Stollen

The Aalener air -raid shelter that were built from autumn 1944 were mostly the result of hard work by forced laborers and women. The most frequently used tunnels include the Hirschbachstollen and the Faber du-Faur stollen. The Hirschbachstollen extends from Schelmenstraße to today's tax office, while the Faber-Du-Faur stollen should offer protection for around 1,050 people.

In April 1945, many Aalener sought protection in these tunnels during the air raids. On April 23 and 24, 1945, American troops occupied the city of Aalen. However, these saw a high risk of injury in the tunnels and required that the city made it inaccessible. As a result, many of the tunnels in the late 1940s could no longer be preserved in their original form and were largely destroyed.

Current challenges

When checking the everyday suitability of these old shelters, it remains unclear whether all planned air -raid shelter in Aalen and WasserAlfingen were actually completed. Other tunnels, such as those on the Bohl and the Wasseralfinger Katzenbuckel, are also part of the historic heritage of the city. The Wasseralfinger Alfing-Stollen, which was built from 1940, was filled in 2017 after a day break.

The times of the Cold War left many shelters or unused. An early withdrawal of protective measures was the norm; However, their relevance is now being considered again, due to the intensifying security context, which the Ukraine War brings with it not least. Information on the current protective structures can be found on the website of the can be called up.