Visit to the Diefenbunker

A well-known museum in the Ottawa area that Terry and I have long wanted to visit is the "Diefenbunker" - a bomb shelter built for the government, in the outskirts of Ottawa in the 1950s, during the Cold War. It is named after John Diefenbaker, the prime minister who ordered its construction.

During Ottawa's Doors Open weekend, Terry and I joined a tour of this bomb shelter which was, when first built, a short train ride followed by a half hour walk from downtown Ottawa.

The idea was that in the event of a nuclear war, if a bomb were dropped on Canada's capital, 600 essential civil servants and government ministers would assemble in this rural underground location where they could continue to govern the country until it was safe to step outside.

This is a life-size model of the kind of bomb that existed at the time.

There were offices for the various government departments, and in the center, a large walk-in safe to hold Canada's gold reserves.

Living accommodations resembled those in a submarine: People would have had to sleep in bunk beds, in 8-hour rotations in small shared rooms!

The prime minister's quarters (shown here) had a small private bedroom, but only a single bed!

Story has it that when John Diefenbaker toured the facility, where family members were excluded, he declared that in the event of a war, he would refuse to go in.

Compared to other rooms, the computer room was spacious - since computers were very large in the 1950's.

The bunker housed no gym or sports facility. The cafeteria would have been the main common area.

Ash trays abounded: Smoking would have been allowed indoors at the time, even though fresh air would have to be pumped in!

Fortunately the bunker never had to be used by the government, though now, as a museum, children's parties and theme weddings are sometimes hosted here.

Touring this windowless underground living space, I couldn't imagine how people could stay for long without going crazy!!