History

The alternative command post in Machern was built between 1968 and 1972 and was designed for approximately 100 full-time employees of Leipzig Stasi headquarters. In the event of a war they would have moved their activities here from the "Runde Ecke". For this purpose, all communication connections to the Leipzig headquarters also went here in parallel.

But in the case of a nuclear strike the bunker would have provided secure protection against nuclear radiation for only about 12 hours. The entire premises of the emergency command centre was camouflaged outwardly as a holiday complex belonging to a Leipzig water supply and sewage treatment company.

The bunker was discovered only around the turn of the year 1989/90, before that it was largely unknown to the public. After a long effort the Citizens Committee of Leipzig succeeded in being awarded a 99 years lease over a substantial portion of the 5.2 hectares (12.844 acres) site from the county Wurzen, to preserve this testimony to the past from destruction by conversion.

In 1995, the entire area was classified as a historic monument at the initiative of the Citizens Committee. On the Heritage open day of 1996 the bunker was re-opened for the first time since 1991. On this day more than 3,000 people visited. In some cases visitors put up with waiting for three hours.