Yesterday I fulfilled a lifelong dream! I toured the Flackturm at
Humboldthian Park. What had once been a  231x231 foot wide and 128 foot
tall concrete flack tower is now only a ruin (half of the building was
blown up by the French).  It is only partly visible because 80% of the
building is buried by rubble.  And yet it was one of the most impressive
structures I have ever seen. The building was (and still is) practically
bomb proof. Three towers in total were commissioned and designed by Hitler
himself in 1940 to protect Berlin from the increasing Allied air raids
during WWII. Each tower was built in only 6 months - all 550 million tons
of concrete and steel rebar of it. Back in 1942, when the tower I explored
finally was finished, the tower could put up a cloud of anti-aircraft
shrapnel constantly due to its ability to fire approximately 8000 rounds
of ammunition per minute.

Exploring the bunker was an incredible experience for me.  It took me back
to a world of chaos and war.  I couldn't help but be struck by the
incredible scale of it all. The enormous scale of what a group of people
were able to accomplish  in only six months was mind blowing. I couldn't
help having the hair on the back of my neck stand on end when seeing the
marked concrete walls where Russian T-39 tanks had blasted them and
knowing that real people fought and died in this incredibly massive
concrete box. As a WWII history enthusiast, I have always wanted to
explore a WWII bunker.  As a theater artist, I have also very much looked
forward to exploring Berlin and its many theaters.  I am struck by the
similarities I found in exploring the bunker and exploring Berlin and its
theaters. I am impressed at the scale of it all. I am amazed at the
ingenuity it took to build the bunker, the city and the many shows I have
seen. This City's theater is as solid as its bunkers and equally as
mysterious.