Hochbunker Neunkirchen, Air-raid tower in Neunkirchen, Germany

Hochbunker Neunkirchen is a reinforced-concrete air-raid tower of planning type 2c, built as a pointed cone so bombs would glance off. Inside, nine floors are arranged around a central wooden staircase, with the main and emergency exits facing each other. The main entrance leads via a wooden staircase into the third floor, the emergency exit from the second floor down to the ground.

The tower was built in 1939/40 by the Franz Brüggemann firm of Hamborn for the Neunkircher Eisenwerk, with space for 400 people, though in an emergency only German employees were admitted. It is one of more than 200 such towers erected in the German Reich between 1936 and 1940, and one of only three in the Saarland. At the start of the 21st century the city of Neunkirchen had it fully restored and opened to visitors.

The tower's nickname, Spitzbunker or Winkelturm, comes from architect Leo Winkel, who patented the pointed-cone design. Inside, wooden benches fitted to the curved outer wall, a toilet and wall inscriptions survive from the original fittings. The city renovated the tower at the start of the 21st century and made it accessible.

The shelter is located in central Neunkirchen with good access by public transit and local buses. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes since some interior areas have uneven flooring and limited natural lighting.

The tower's cone shape was patented by Cologne architect Leo Winkel, who left his post at Thyssen AG to found his own firm. The pointed form prevented bombs from striking squarely and made camouflage easier than with conventional bunkers. Of more than 200 such towers built in the German Reich between 1936 and 1940, only three stood in the Saarland.