Public guided tour - Festung Fürigen

O tomto mieste

Behind the steep rock faces of the Bürgenberg near Stansstad lies Festung Fürigen. Built during the Second World War, it was part of the Réduit, the Swiss Army’s defence strategy at the time. In the event of an attack, the artillery works with its two cannons were meant to help fend off any possible German advance into the Alpine region. The fortress remained in use during the Cold War too, though it was geared towards new threat scenarios. The last time was in 2009, when men entered the tunnels – now merely dressed as soldiers – for a reality show by Swiss television. You can explore the fortress as a museum since 1991. The current exhibition focuses on the fortress and its defence concept. It addresses social developments in the region and shows the lives and daily routine of the men who carried out their military service here until the 1980s. An audiovisual tour leads through the outer tunnel to the gun emplacements and finally into the accommodation area. This is where they ate and slept. What occupied the fortress soldiers during their several-week stay in the mountain? What worries weighed on and plagued them? What did they write to their loved ones back home? Experience a piece of Swiss history up close and explore the secret world in the rock.

Poloha