Luftwaffe anti-aircraft towers - indestructible “monuments” to Hitler (16 photos)

We are about to celebrate the 67th anniversary of the Victory over Nazism, and they will stand for another century and will outlive us. Although to call their existence life is to be greatly flattered. Initially erected for the sake of crop rotation of death, the terrible anti-aircraft towers of the Luftwaffe are deader than their creator, in contrast to whom these monstrous structures cannot be burned or blown up, and the ashes can be scattered to the wind... But - let's talk about everything in order.

In 1940, a certain Adolf Hitler was seriously angry. The Fuhrer was almost torn to shreds with anger by the fact that British military aviation had performed such a glorious mischief in the skies over Berlin. Hitler decided that it would be a good idea to strengthen the power and defense of the German capital with the help of three giant towers for anti-aircraft guns, firing at 14 kilometers. And they were built in a matter of six months. Other cities of the Reich followed the metropolitan “fashion”, so it turned out that even today these monsters of steel and concrete seem to dilute the peaceful colorful landscapes of Germany and Austria with their gloom. They guard the sky from anyone. And almost no one likes them.

Nowadays, anyone looking at these unusual strongholds is allowed to shrug their shoulders and ask: “Why so serious?” The answer is that at one time the anti-aircraft towers, built on Hitler's orders, were designed to withstand an air raid of any power. It was not for nothing that these towers were considered practically invulnerable and only three of them were enough to protect the whole of Berlin from the winged enemy. And being inside a concrete bunker meant feeling completely safe. Thousands of Germans did just that during air raids.

However, at the end of the War, all three Berlin towers received significant damage. The one that stood in the capital's zoo was blown out of the ground and then methodically dismantled by the British occupying forces. The second subsequently received the folklore name “Mountain of Garbage”, the third is open today for tourists to visit.

Hamburg's two anti-aircraft towers were dealt with more leniently. One of them now houses a music concert club, a school and a store, while the other is an experiment in vertical gardening and turning it into an element of living nature.

An interesting fate befell one of the Luftwaffe anti-aircraft towers in Vienna. Today it houses a city aquarium, where half a thousand species of aquatic animals live and delight the public, including sharks, piranhas and large turtles. On one of the floors of the tower, in an artificial climate, a section of tropical forest was created with colorful birds and monkeys freely jumping from branch to branch.

There is an observation deck on the roof of the tower, which offers a wonderful view of the capital of Austria.

Two more Viennese towers are used to house cellular antennas, and their premises and facades are chosen by thousands of cesspool pigeons.

And eight more Luftwaffe anti-aircraft towers were planned to be built in the homeland of the regime, in Munich, but the Nazis did not have time to do this. And thank God for that, although he had nothing to do with it.