Removal of WWII Bunkers at Palazzo dei Congressi in Lido Beach

Below the Mille Hall of the Palazzo dei Congressi, there were two bunkers built by the Germans adjacent to the Hotel Lido, which was used as a hospital. When, at the end of the 1960s, the Azienda Autonoma—managed first by Tarcisio Boschin and Ettore Righi, and later by Ezio Marchi and Giuseppe Degara—considered the construction of the Palazzo dei Congressi, the possibility of disguising the two wartime remnants helped secure permission from the almost omnipotent Sovrintendenza alle Belle Arti to build nearly by the lake.

The bunkers remained forgotten beneath until years later: their first and only disturbance occurred during the Santa Lucia earthquake of 1976, when the tremor caused the concrete domes to crack against the hall’s floor, resulting in the only damage reported to the structure at that time.

Demolition and dismantling

Now, the bunkers are being literally broken down and crushed. The Palacongressi, eager for space, has decided to convert the large ground floor, which has been underutilized so far, into offices and storage rooms. Before issuing the permit, the municipality thoroughly examined piles of documents to ensure that no historically significant artifacts were involved.

It was discovered that the bunkers were built by the Germans around 1940 and are not even listed in the official records. Therefore, approval for their demolition has been granted. The bunkers are made entirely of concrete, without steel reinforcement, with walls a meter and a half thick.

Demolition techniques and material characteristics

A diamond wire saw slices through the massive walls, while blocks weighing several tons are dislodged and moved outside using special water cushions that keep them lifted and jacks capable of shifting them.

Once outside, the blocks are fed into a crusher, similar to those used for breaking rock faces in tunnels, which reduces them to inert material. From the mixture, smooth, rounded river stones—thrown more than sixty years ago—are recovered, clean and intact.

As the bunker disappears, the ceiling of the upper hall’s floor begins to appear: supported by girders and awaiting final reinforcements. This is not yet the long-awaited expansion of the Palazzo dei Congressi, but an additional 300 square meters of usable space is enough for now.