The German Bunker Built to Defend the Linea Galla Placidia. Preserving a Forgotten Heritage

Abstract

After the armistice, the threat of an Allied landing on the Italian coasts of Romagna, north of the Gothic Line, spread among the German Army. This danger led to a real arms race, as it would have offered free access to the heart of the Third Reich. What ensued was therefore the organization of a strong line of defence consisting of bunkers, defensive emplacements and structures like dragon’s teeth. The landing, however, never took place and it turned out to be part of a deception strategy. At the end of the war the bunkers were largely destroyed, silted or covered by sand; since then, only some of them have been reused as storages or warehouses. As rejected ruins they were never perceived as cultural heritage, but nowadays they offer the opportunity to reflect on their destiny.

Keywords

• bunker
• World War II
• Gothic Line
• reinforced concrete
• conservation