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Former NATO bunker as a unique combination of digitization and nature conservation
Börfink, 28 March 2025 – The Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park Office today ceremoniously moved into its new administrative offices on the site of the historic “Erwin” bunker in Börfink. Since April 2017 – about two years after the opening of the national park – the rangers of the national park have found their home here. Now the National Park Office with around 40 employees is following you to the same place, and again with ministerial support: While the rangers were accompanied by the then Minister of the Environment Ulrike Höfken, this time Environment Minister Katrin Eder attended the ceremonial entry of the National Park Office.
IT Vision Technology Group (ITVT) is the owner of the former NATO bunker in the heart of the national park, which once served as an airspace surveillance service for Central Europe. It not only operates a climate-friendly data center on the extensive site, but has also comprehensively renovated the building made available to the office to make it more energy-efficient. In addition to the renovation of the windows and roof surfaces according to the latest standards, a local heating network was built on the basis of a wood chip heating system, which will supply all outdoor buildings with sustainably generated heat in the future. Another focus was on avoiding “grey energy”: only six interior walls had to give way – all the others were preserved, thus avoiding demolition and new construction. Necessary renovations were carried out in timber frame construction with wood fibre insulation, which is not only resource-saving, but also binds CO₂ in the long term.
In total, the renovation work resulted in a reduction in energy consumption of almost 90%. Here are a few figures, data and facts that impressively prove this:
Energy consumption reduced from 243 kWh/m²/year to just 26.4 kWh/m²/year
The implementation of the project was also a clear commitment to regionality and sustainability: Around 100 people from 25 companies from the trades, building materials trade and specialist planning sectors – mainly from the immediate vicinity – were involved in the project. Thus, the restoration not only meets the strict requirements of the National Park Office, but also contributes to regional value creation. In addition, with only 12 months of construction time, the project was an impressive team effort by all those involved.
In addition to Environment Minister Eder and the Head of the National Park Office, Dr. Harald Egidi, the ceremonial opening was of course also attended by the two founders and managing directors of ITVT, Jochen Klipfel and Patrick Kreuzer. Jochen Klipfel is very pleased about the new tenants at Bunker Erwin: “As a company that is committed to innovation and sustainability, we are pleased to make Bunker Erwin accessible to such an important institution as the National Park Office. This long-standing partnership underlines our commitment to the preservation of nature and the promotion of regional projects.”
Patrick Kreuzer also emphasizes the importance of this project for the region: “The conversion of the Erwin bunker is an excellent example of how historical structures can be meaningfully led into the future. We are proud to be part of this project and to make a contribution to nature conservation in the Hunsrück.”
