Winkel Towers (Work in Progress)
Introduction
When Martin Roemers was working on his project “Relics of the Cold War” he encountered close to Berlin a few bunkers in the shape of a rocket. Fascinated by these strange objects, Roemers did research into these hardly known “Winkel Towers” from World War II in Germany.
Now, more then 20 years later, they are the subject of his new photo project.
This is a work in progress.
History
In the 1930s, German architect Leo Winkel was commisioned to construct
an above-ground air defense tower in such a way that its shape alone would guarantee bomb safety. Leo Winkel was inspired by churches of Italian design, in which the bell tower stands freely next to the actual church building (so-called “campanile”).
The pointed tower should ensure that in case of an air raid, a bomb would slide off the tower without it exploding. Only one documented bomb hit is known that destroyed a tower (Bremen-Hemelingen, 12 Oktober 1944, American bomb, 5 killed).
Around 200 Winkel Towers were built during the Third Reich. They were located at factories, the Reichsbahn and objects of the Wehrmacht. After the war, most of the Winkel Towers were blown up during the demilitarization of Germany. A number of them still exist, scattered throughout Germany.