They are located in the mountains.
During the Second world war in Switzerland was established a huge network of bunkers and air-RAID shelters: there were only about eight thousand. It was a secure fortress in case of occurrence of Hitler. During the cold war, this underground world only flourished: the government invested heavily in the maintenance of existing silos and building new ones.
Only at the end of the XX century this process was discontinued as unnecessary, and many military facilities opened to the public. I represent to your attention photos of photographer Erasing Reto (Reto Sterchi), studied in detail Swiss dungeon.
Disguised the entrance to the bunker, Fort Ospizio
Child Reto often played near the river at the foot of the Alps, where from the water could see one of the bunkers. “It was like a boulder, but it was sticking out the gun, — says the photographer. “I thought, what the hell, what could be inside? But we were forbidden to approach him.”
The descent into the bunker, Fort Waldbrand
For the first time to find out what is the “boulder with a machine gun” he was only 20 years old when he served in the army. During the drill Sergeant told the soldiers to go down into the bunker: “We have passed three hundred steps down and suddenly he was inside the mountain.”
The corridor with rifles, Fort Waldbrand
“One day my friend and I got lost. To find the way back, it took a long time.”
The Cabinet officer, Fort Waldbrand
In 2010, Reto seriously undertook to explore the cave, wanting to reveal all their secrets.
Beds soldier, Fort Waldbrand
The Internet had very little information about Swiss bunkers: “I understand that the network almost no photos of the bunkers and I should be the one to fix it”.
The entrance to the underground hospital, Fort Langnau am Albis
While the government has declassified bunkers in the late 1990s, access was still difficult. The military are reluctant to disclose their secrets.
Medical bed, Fort Cindy
“Soldiers and officers used to tell me stories about the imminent Russian invasion and tried to forbid me passage inside.”
Telephone booth, Fort Naters
Some bunkers and bomb shelters were sold. They were converted into museums, hotels, dairies, and mushroom farm.
Underground hospital, Fort Langnau am Albis
The first bunker we visited Reto in the framework of its project “Swiss mountain myth”, owned by eccentric entrepreneur. He loved to ride through the tunnels on his Ferrari, and one of the rooms was the Armory in the style of James bond.
Observation post, Fort, Grinau
“I was forbidden to shoot inside the bunker”.
The soldiers ‘ canteen, Fort Furggels
Working on the project, the photographer understood how many stories have these walls. Since the cessation of functioning in silos, nothing has changed, as if people had left them just a few days ago .
The management centre, Fort St. Stephen
In the canteens still hanging signs with menus, health clinics equipped with the necessary equipment.
Negotiation, Fort Sasso da Pigna
Regardless of the size and location of bins they all looked kitschy. The walls inside are painted in pistachio, pink, mustard color that does not jibe with military rigor.
Radio system, Fort Waldbrand
According to Reto, this is done not in the pursuit of beauty and to long stay under the ground were not so depressing. Everything else was very thought out and organized with an emphasis on functionality.
The entrance to the Fort Sasso da Pigna
Now, when Reto have studied in detail the dungeon Switzerland, he realized that the sense of the sacred about them. This is a common military structures built to protect the government and the people of the country from Nazi invasion.
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