Hitler Wolf's Lair bunker museum plans condemned as 'Nazi theme park'

NZ Herald

31 Jul, 2019 11:49 PM3 mins to read

Nazi theme park: Historians are concerned over plans to preserve Nazi fortifications and Hitler's HQ. Photo / Michal Fludra, Getty Images

In a remote corner of the Eastern Front, plans to restore the bunker in which Hitler spent the last years of World War Two have been met with concern that the Wolf's Lair may become a "Nazi Theme Park"

The Nazi dictator spent 850 of his final days in this concrete bunker in the woods.

From 1941-44 this forgotten corner of Poland saw the launch and ultimate failure of Adolf Hitler's plans for world domination.

But for such an infamous history, the Srokowo Forest is relatively unknown. Something the managers of the site are hoping to change, by improving the site's facilities as a tourist destination.

Into The Wolf's Lair: Historians are conflicted about preserving Adolf Hilter's wartime bunker. Photo / Getty Images

The vast concrete complex is crumbling and in dire need of repair.

Arguably if restoration is not undertaken much of the site will be lost.

However, beyond wear and tear, the renovations include far more ambitious plans to expand the site as a tourist attraction.

Adventure: The Wolf's Lair attracts around 300,000 people a year. Photo / Getty Images

A restaurant and even a bunker hotel in the woods are planned, in an area where there is little else to see but the abandoned Nazi fortress.

Critics question the ethics of promoting the site as a tourist attraction. Improving the facilities and expanding the capacity, some are concerned that the plans outline a sort of "Disneyland" for Nazis.

Wolfsschanze: The Wolf's Lair is marked out in the Polish woods. Photo / Getty Images

The site has undeniable historical poignance. On 20 July 1944 the Wolfsschanze ("Wolf's Lair") was the site of a failed assassination attempt by Hitler's officers.

The plot Known as Operation Valkyrie was turned into a 2008 movie starring Tom Cruise, and is still a point of fascination for visitors.

Failed assassination: The Wolf's Lair was the scene of a failed attempt on Hitler's life. Photo / Getty Images

Sebastian Trapik a council spokesperson for the district told the BBC that this resistance story would be a point of focus for the restoration, with "symbolic figures depicting those present at the time."

However, it is argued that preservation plans may backfire if it becomes a location for neo-Nazi pilgrimages.

Wolf's Lair: Adolf Hitler at a meeting in the German General Headquarters in August 1941. Photo / Getty Images

The site is already visited by nearly 300000 tourists a year. Paying the 15 zloty (about $6) entry fee, most of the site's visitors come from Germany and Poland.

Visitors are guided round the site and exhibitions by a free phone app.

Previously, other sites associated with Hitler have taken a more drastic approach.

In Germany they have been mostly erased from the map.

In Berlin, there is little to see of the site where Hitler eventually died in 1945, surrounded by the Russian army.

'Preserved and presented as a lesson': Crumbling remains of the Nazi fortress. Photo / Getty Images

In its place is an ugly, unremarkable car park. The tarmac is only broken for a few wood chipped planters where Berliner residents walk their dogs.

After years of resistance to any commemmoration, the city council finally placed a solitary information plaque in 2006. Though, even this marker was controversial.