The Führerbunker (or "Fuhrerbunker") is the name commonly given to the World War II complex of subterranean rooms in Berlin, Germany, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air. ... Berlin (pronounced: , German ) is the capital of Germany and its largest city, with 3,426,000 inhabitants (as of January 2005); down from 4. ... Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889–April 30, 1945) was the Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Imperial chancellor) of Germany from 1933 to his death. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally ending ones own life; it is sometimes a noun for one who has committed, or attempted the act. ...

The complex was in the north-east grounds of the Reichskanzlei (Reich Chancellory). 10 m below ground and protected by approximately 4 m of concrete, the twenty rooms were distributed over two levels with exits into the main buildings and an emergency exit into the gardens. The complex was built in two distinct phases, one part in 1936 and the other in 1943. The 1943 development was built by the Hochtief company as part of an extensive program of subterranean construction in Berlin begun in 1940. The accommodation for Hitler was in the newer section. Hitler moved into the Führerbunker on January 16, 1945. He was joined by his senior staff, Martin Bormann, Eva Braun and Joseph Goebbels with all his family. What happened next is uncertain; the accounts of eye-witnesses differ and the popular chronology given by Hugh Trevor-Roper is largely speculative. From the well-known accounts: as the Soviet Army launched its attack on Berlin, Hitler's mental state deteriorated; it is reported that after a hysterical meeting on April 22 Hitler was resigned to dying in Berlin and refused to flee. Much of the bunker staff left over April 22-23. On April 23, following a surprise telegram, Hitler had Hermann Göring arrested in Berchtesgaden for treason; General Robert Ritter von Greim was appointed his successor. Shells began striking the bunker and surrounding government buildings from April 26. It is said that on the 28th, after hearing reports that Heinrich Himmler was negotiating with the Allies, Hitler had his representative in the bunker, Hermann Fegelein (who within days would have been his brother-in-law by marriage), executed. Later on the 28th Hitler wrote out his political testament and will and also married Eva Braun. In the early afternoon of April 30, with the Red Army only a mile away, Hitler committed suicide by gunshot; Eva was found dead with him apparently from poison. Both bodies were taken up to the surface and burned. On May 1 Goebbels and his wife Magda poisoned their six children and then committed suicide; their bodies were also burned. The Imperial Chancellory (German Reichskanzlei) is the traditional name of the office of the German Chancellor. ... Model of the new Reich Chancellory. ... To help compare different orders of magnitude this page lists lengths between 10 m and 100 m. ... This article is about the construction material. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Martin Bormann (June 17, 1900 – May 2, 1945) was a prominent Nazi who became head of the Party Chancellery (Parteikanzlei) and Private Secretary to Adolf Hitler. ... Eva Braun and Hitler Eva Anna Paula Braun (February 6, 1912 – April 30, 1945) was the longtime companion (and ultimately, wife for a night and a day) of Adolf Hitler. ... Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (October 29, 1897 – May 1, 1945) was Adolf Hitlers Propaganda Minister (see Propagandaministerium) in Nazi Germany. ... Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper, Baron Dacre of Glanton (January 15, 1914 - January 26, 2003) was a notable historian of early modern Britain and Nazi Germany, who became infamous for authenticating the Hitler Diaries, which were later proved to be a hoax. ... This article is about the armed forces of the Soviet Union. ... Battle of Berlin Conflict World War II Date April 16, 1945 - May 8, 1945 Place Berlin, Germany Result Soviet victory The Battle of Berlin was one of the final battles(1) of the European Theatre of World War II. A massive Soviet army attacked Berlin from the east. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering or Goring in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was an early member of the Nazi party, founder of the Gestapo, and one of the main perpetrators of Nazi Germany. ... Berchtesgaden is a German municipality in the Bavarian Alps with a population of around 9,000. ... Robert Ritter von Greim Robert Ritter von Greim or Robert Greim (June 22, 1892 - May 24, 1945) was a German pilot and army officer. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Himmler (October 7, 1900 – May 23, 1945) was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. ... When spelt with a capital A, Allies usually denotes the countries that fought together against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis Powers in World War II. Other uses In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to... This Article Is still being edited in order to conform to a higher standard Hermann Fegelein ( 30 October 1906 - † 29 April 1945) was a prominent officer of the Waffen-SS in Nazi Germany and brother-in law to Adolf Hitler, through his marriage to Eva Brauns sister, Gretl. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ...

The Reichskanzlei was destroyed by the Soviets in 1945, but the bunker largely survived. In 1947 the Soviets tried to blow up the bunker, but only the separation-walls were damaged. In 1959 the East German government also tried to blast the bunker - without any effect. Near the Berlin Wall, the site was undeveloped until after reunification. During the construction of residential housing and other buildings on the site in 1988-89, the underground structures were largely destroyed. The Reichskanzlei was situated at the corner of Wilhelmstraße and Voßstraße. Further parts of the Reichskanzlei underground complex were often uncovered during the extensive construction work of the 1990s, but they were ignored, filled in or quickly resealed. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: (СССР)  listen; tr. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), German Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), was a Communist state that existed from 1949 to 1990 in the former Soviet occupation zone of Germany. ... Berlin Wall on November 16, 1989 The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a long barrier separating West Berlin from East Berlin and the surrounding territory of East Germany. ... Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but keeping the same mind-set. ...

Currently the location of the bunker is not marked. The area is instead occupied by a small Chinese restaurant and mini mall while the emergency exit point for the bunker, in what was the Reichskanzlei gardens, is now occupied by a car park. The Mall, an out-of-town shopping centre at Patchway, near Bristol, England. ...

External links

• Washington Post: The Death of Hitler (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/deathofhitler.htm) (book excerpt)
• The site of the Fuhrer Bunker in 1989-1990 (http://www.geocities.com/isanders_2000/vossa.htm) (photos)