Visit a secret nuclear bunker in Northern Jutland

The nuclear bunker was built on a limestone cliff at Rebild Bakker in Northern Jutland in the 1960s. The Cold War was at its worst, and to safeguard democracy, the Danish authorities chose to establish the bunker to protect the country in case the worst happened. Now the secret bunker is not so secret anymore, and it recently opened to the public.

- In the event of an attack from the Eastern Bloc and the capital was invaded, the idea was to send the government and the regent and the regent's spouse to the west. Therefore, the facility was built with the highest nuclear security and an alarm system that lasted until 2012, so that the government and the regent could continue their work underground," explains Lars Enevold Pedersen, Audience Manager at Nordjyske Museer.

Buy tickets to Regan Vest here

NOTE: It is only possible to pre-order tickets online - tickets can NOT be purchased physically at the museum.

Transformation into a museum

When the authorities removed Regan Vest from the emergency response centre, there were intensive discussions about what to do with the facility in the future.

- Nordjyske Museer received a request from a central organisation to convert it into a museum. They said "yes" and began extensive work to register everything from pins and chairs to lifts and beds. Naturally, the entire nuclear bunker also had to be protected, and they had to apply for funding to make changes so that the bunker was also safe for visitors," explains the publicity manager.

The facility opened on 13 February 2023, and in addition to a tour of the nuclear bunker, the museum ticket gives you access to the exhibition in the welcome building, which tells the story of the development of the atomic bomb and what everyday life was like in Denmark during the Cold War. The museum also contains the so-called "engineer's residence" - this is where an (ordinary) family lived, with the father of the house working as an engineer at the nuclear plant.

- In other words, the museum is a complete "Kinder Egg" - three experiences in one. And of course, a slightly exciting story related to the engineer's house was the secret that the whole family - including the children - had to keep. For example, the children were never allowed to have a birthday party at home, and the family also knew that the father was part of the nuclear defence force, so that in the event of war, he would have to go down to the bunker and leave the family in the house. "The entire house has also been reconstructed to look like an ordinary Danish home from the 1980s and in this respect it also provides an interesting insight into life about 40 years ago," says Lars Enevold Pedersen.

Unique pocket of time

Museum visitors to Regan Vest can look forward to a very special experience that you probably won't find anywhere else in the world.

- Entering Regan Vest, which is dug 60 metres into the ground and 300 metres into the hill, is like entering a time warp. A huge amount of work has gone into making the bunker look as authentic as possible - from the equipment in the medical clinic, ashtrays, telephones and what the regent's room looked like. All with original chairs, tables, crockery and furniture for the 300 or so people that were accommodated there. Through a guided tour with just ten people in each group, you get a very special experience of being alone in the bunker and thus the opportunity to imagine what life would have been like deep below the surface of North Jutland if the Cold War had suddenly turned hot, concludes Lars Enevold Pedersen.

Buy tickets to Regan Vest here

NB. Please note that you must be able to walk two kilometres to visit the underground nuclear bunker.