Own a 1936 bunker in Gelderland for €80,000

Hidden between the listings of homes and garages on Funda is an advertisement for a unique property - a genuine bunker built in 1936, located near Hattem in Gelderland. The listing says “price on request,” but the owner told RTV Oost that he’d like 80,000 euros for the piece of pre-War history.

The Zwolle Noord bunker, or casemate, was built in 1936 in case of a sudden German attack, which took place four years later, about eight months after the start of World War II. The Netherlands built 43 such casemates; this is one of the 14 that remain.

Owner Luca Ekkel (23) bought the small bunker last year with ideas of turning it into a lookout tower, a studio, or perhaps even a bed and breakfast. But the process proved too time-consuming for the student, who is now looking for someone else to take over this passion project.

“There must be someone who is interested in this,” he told RTV Oost. “I’ve already had several plans drawn up to make the bunker accessible again. You could really make something really cool out of this.”

The building is a national monument located on land owned by the government on a dike that’s important for flood protection. So changes may be more easily said than done. But according to Ekkel, “the municipality of Hattem is supportive of the idea of doing something with this.” The bunker also has no water or electricity, and there’s concrete rot in the walls in some places.

Ekkel agrees that 80,000 euros may seem like a hefty sum for an old block of concrete. “You can’t compare it to anything else,” he said, defending the asking price. “There’s simply no other property like this; it’s truly unique. And I’ve already invested a lot of time and money in various investigations.”

And there is a lot of interest in the building, he added. “In just a few days, we’ve already received 60 responses, and I’m holding viewings daily. Ultimately, you only need one buyer.”