BERLIN, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A massive underground bunker built to shield leaders of the former East Germany from a nuclear attack is now open for tours, German officials say.
The bunker, a three-story, 170-room structure that sinks 230 feet below ground just outside of Berlin, was never used by East Germany's communist leaders and is now covered in mold, the BBC reported Saturday.
Former East German President Erich Honecker visited the bunker, which was completed in 1983, only once. It was opened for public tours for a three-month period after a campaign from the group Berlin Bunker Network, the British broadcaster reported.
"Contemporary witnesses told us that Honecker was more or less frightened or shocked when he walked through here," said Sebastian Tenschert of the Berlin Bunker Network.
German officials will permanently seal the bunker with concrete after the visiting period is over, the BBC reported.
