During Bamboo Bar’s renovations in 2011, the hotel’s engineering team re-discovered a wartime bunker complex buried beneath the hotel grounds. This place once served as a bomb shelter protecting the hotel guests from air raids during the war in the 1960s and ‘70s, including famous visitors such as singer Joan Baez and actress Jane Fonda.

The bunker was carefully restored and reopened in May 2012 to honour the extraordinary contribution, courage, and resilience of our Metropole Ambassadors who worked here during those challenging times. In 2013, in recognition of its efforts to preserve special historical values, the hotel was honoured with a UNESCO Award for Cultural Heritage.

Today, the bomb shelter stands as a poignant reminder of the past – a space that invites reflection on the stories, struggles, and strength woven into the hotel and the nation’s legacy.

Daily tours of Metropole’s Path of History and the Bomb Shelter with our historians are offered exclusively for guests staying at the hotel. Tours are conducted daily at 5 and 6pm. Kindly contact our Concierge team for reservations.