Secret Cold War-era bunker discovered in Finland includes command center and deathbed

A massive underground bunker, secretly constructed by a private individual in Jämsä, central Finland, has remained hidden from the public for decades, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle. The facility—dug by hand beneath a residential property—features a command center, defensive positions, and a chamber containing a deathbed prepared by its builder.

The bunker was the life’s work of Jouko “Joksa” Sohlman, a former military officer and self-taught builder who spent 20 years excavating the 30-meter network of tunnels and chambers using only hand tools: a shovel, pickaxe, and iron crowbar. Reinforced with concrete walls and divided by steel doors, the complex includes multiple rooms, a long wooden table for strategic planning, a firing slit for defense, and a final chamber equipped with a stove, well, and the bed where Sohlman intended to die.

His son, Marko Sohlman, 56, inherited the bunker and only learned of its full extent in stages, gaining access to its deepest sections only when his father deemed him ready. “He was an unusual man—some in the village called him the town fool,” Marko told Yle. “But very wise people are often unusual in their own way.”

Jouko Sohlman, a reservist captain and trained fighter pilot, had envisioned the bunker as a refuge in the event of a third world war. In 2010, he reportedly pointed to Ukraine on a map and declared it the future flashpoint for global conflict—a prediction his son initially dismissed but now views as eerily accurate. Sohlman also described dreams of an invasion involving “small helicopters,” foreshadowing modern drone warfare.

Beyond the bunker, the property includes a stone fortress, observation tower, smoke saunas, and a curing shed for meat—all built by hand as part of Sohlman’s vision for a self-sufficient Kalevala-style village. His notebooks document two decades of labor, noting, “Work has been hard, and time has passed.”

In late 2021, Jouko Sohlman, then 75, began showing signs of dementia. After missing a scheduled doctor’s appointment (he was foraging for mushrooms and became disoriented in the forest), he refused further medical help, insisting, “I know my memory is gone, but as long as I can still squat when I need to, I won’t go to a doctor.” Weeks later, neighbors alerted authorities after noticing no activity at his home.

Marko Sohlman now plans to open the bunker to the public as a historical attraction. “Preparing like this might seem extreme,” he reflected, “but today, some level of readiness feels wise.”