What the bunker hid

- A German soldier tells us

In the exhibition “What the Bunker Hid – A German Soldier Tells His Story,” the late Marine Gerhard Saalfeld recounts his experiences in a bunker on the west coast of Jutland. In 1945, Saalfeld was stationed in this very bunker along with nine other young men, and several of the excavated items belonged to him. Saalfeld’s bunker is located approximately 5 km north of Søndervig.

In the exhibition, you can experience for yourself what it was like to live in a bunker. You can lie down in one of the uncomfortable bunk beds—Saalfeld was in the bottom one—or turn the crank on the ventilation system, which was designed to provide fresh air in the confined spaces.

In a film, Saalfeld tells his story. He talks about growing up in Nazi Germany, where all children were automatically enrolled in the Hitler Youth, about war toys, and about daily life and its routines on the windswept west coast during World War II.

The exhibition opens at Fiskeriets Hus April 2026