Odense Bunker Museum, Funen and Islands, Denmark

5constanttraveler2014 5:00 PM Feb 12, 2017

A fascinating, guided tour back to the Cold War
The museum is located 2,6 km from the city. Right next to Danhostel (Kragsbjergvej 99, GPS: 55.385, 10.407) and in fact, partially under the hostel. Taxis will know the name Danhostel better than Bunker Museum. Maybe you can even use public transportation (BUS: 21, 22, 23, 24, 122S, 161, 162, 195S) to the nearby residential area Chr. Sonnes Vej (Odense Kommune), although I'm not sure of how many buses are in operation on the weekends. There is a small grocery store/kiosk one block away (towards the city). Entrance is on the right side from the front of the hostel, just look for a phone booth and well... a bunker entrance. Payment is cash only (50 Kr.). Taxi from the city probably costs about 150 Kr. We used Odense Taxa (+4566154415, VISA & MasterCard accepted) to go to the Odense Zoo afterwards (3 km away and open until late evening), but actually walked from the city to the Bunker Museum. This took us nearly 30 minutes through the residential areas. Arrive at least 2 hours before the closing time. We didn't realize this and were there just one hour before the museum was about to close. The guide was working over-hours to still do the full tour for us (in English and it took at least 1 h 30 min), probably having to omit something to cut it a bit shorter. We felt a bit bad for this but what a great service! This was by far our favorite attraction in Odense. The bunker was built for non-military use during the Cold War era, in case the city was hit by a nuclear weapon. It could also protect against gas or other poisons in the air. It contains a generator that not only runs by diesel fuel, but with raw human power as well! The purpose of the place was to house the Odense Municipality's command center, where several key personnel (e.g. mayor, police, engineers) would take control of an emergency situation in the city, to protect the residents (control evacuation, etc.). What made the museum interesting for us (and we normally skip museums more often than we should!) was not only the time period this was all about, but most of the original equipment being there + lots of uniforms and items from both east and west (also of the Civil Defense Forces), the vast knowledge of the guide, the history related to the place itself and of course, gas masks (lots of them)! An enthusiastic staff really makes a big difference, too. In many ways, it feels time inside the bunker is frozen in a bygone era. If you're interested in the times of the Cold War, you'll get a real kick out of this place. Reserve at least 2 hours for your visit and do note that at the moment, the museum seems to be only open on Saturdays and Sundays. Highly recommended!

5Steve G 5:00 PM May 5, 2017

Excellently restored bunker.
This bunker is as good as any museum that l have come across and probably the best cold war bunker in existance. The volunteers have put everything possible into making this a complete exhibition, right down to the paperwork and displays. With the added bonus of a good collection of East German equipment, uniforms and ephemera and the highly knowledgeable guides, it is unimaginable that anyone could grumble at the very reasonable entrance fee. Lots of things to buy to further support their splendid work.