Video: Nuclear bunker in Amsterdam for sale for €295,000
Ever wanted to own a nuclear bunker in Amsterdam? A Cold War-era fallout shelter has just hit the market for €295,000, so now might be your chance. The zoning for the bunker is a bit of a gray area, seller Property Noord warns, so it is not quite clear what you would be allowed to do with it.
The partially underground nuclear bunker is located on the Postjeskade in Amsterdam’s Baarsjes neighborhood. It was built in 1940 as a sewage pumping station, and converted into a fallout shelter amidst the threat of nuclear war in 1960. The bunker includes an airlock, 30-centimeter-thick concrete walls, electricity, water, and internet access.
The bunker has three floors, one above ground and two below. The exterior of the building measures about 4 meters by 1.45 meters, or just under 6 m2, with a single parking space. The building and parking spot sit on a canalside plot of 76 m2.
Down one set of concrete steps, you’ll find two shelters of 10 m2 and 17 m2, painted white, with electricity and lights. The shelters are equipped with heavy metal doors and a metal emergency exit.
Another floor down, by ladder this time, is the old pump cellar. The room is about 18 m2 and in a rough state, Property Noord said. “For other use, adjustments will be necessary.”
The property was last sold in 2011 for 15,000 euros. It hit the market in 2022 at a staggering price of €1.1 million when it was “overgrown with ivy, inaccessible to most buyers,” according to Property Noord. It went unsold and was taken off the market.
Since then, more money has been put into the property with an eye towards selling it. “The ivy is gone, and the cellar has been renovated and furnished in the style of the 1960s. Local residents are seeing for the first time what stood there all those years,” the property listing states.
“Now it is for sale again, for a fraction of the asking price from back then.” Additionally, the ground lease on the property has been paid off through January 2098
The only downside is that zoning, Hero Panman, co-owner of Property Noord, told RTL Nieuws. The municipality’s spatial planning documents list the bunker as zoned for “traffic” purposes. So what is legally possible there is not quite clear. Despite this, Property Noord has already had contact with 20 parties “with serious interest.”
"You could imagine someone wanting to build a music studio there, or perhaps creating a unique place for overnight stays. It’s also possible that someone might be willing to pay a significant amount for two underground parking spaces. I’m originally from Drenthe, where we have plenty of space—but that’s a different story here in the heart of Amsterdam," Panman said. Even living there isn’t “ruled out entirely,” he added. "The eventual buyer would be well-advised to sit down with the municipality to discuss the zoning.”
Bidding has already been open for a few days and will continue until 5 p.m. on Nov. 6. The sellers want the closing to be completed by Dec. 24. Additional costs will include the 10.4 percent property transfer tax for non-residential spaces and notary fees.