Welcome to the Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum. This audio tour will take you four stories below ground and lasts approximately 1 hour. Use this device to start, stop, skip, or go back. Listen for this chime [chime] to signal the end of a stop.
Building the Bunker was a feat of the Critical Path planning method and engineering know-how. In the centre of the room is a scale model of the Bunker that planners used during the design and construction phases. The model was vital in planning how all the self-contained life support systems and power generation would fit and work in the four-storey building, all completely underground. Different colours represent different ventilation and machinery systems.
More than 1,000 workers built the almost 1,000 square meter Bunker over the course of 18 months. The main structure required 24,320 cubic meters of hand-poured concrete, and sits on 1.5 meters of compacted gravel, which would have absorbed the shock of a nuclear blast.
It was almost impossible to keep the building of the Bunker a secret; many residents in Carp wondered at what was being constructed. The public was told it was a Communications Centre, but right from the start people started calling it the Diefenbunker—after the sitting prime minister, John Diefenbaker.
During the course of this audio tour, you will visit all four floors of the Bunker. Right now, we’re only on the top level—have a look at the model and spot the indicator of where you’re standing.