The site of the bunker where Adolf Hitler watched his Third Reich implode in the final months of the Second World War was officially marked for the first time today by a historical group.
Hidden below a playground and an apartment block, the location of Hitler's bunker was unrecognisable until the Berlin Underworlds' Association unveiled its new information panel with graphics, historic photos and a chronology in both German and English.
The group is seeking to demystify one of the capital's most historically charged places.
"This is one of the most symbolic places in Berlin for the crimes the Nazis committed and we want to make sure people know the whole truth about it," said Sven Felix Kellerhoff, author of the book The Fuehrer Bunker.
Hitler's bodyguard throughout the war, former SS Staff Sgt. Rochus Misch, was at the unveiling and recalled his experiences. "History can be good or bad, but even if it's about a devil, people must be informed of history," he said.
Berlin officials had been hesitant about pointing out the location where Hitler spent his last months because they feared right wing activists would turn the site into a place of pilgrimage.
AP