Switzerland is a neutral nation but has more nuclear bunkers than any country in the world
Switzerland maintains a massive network of over 370,000 nuclear bunkers, ensuring enough shelter space for its entire population. Despite the end of the Cold War, the country continues to prioritize civil defense infrastructure as a precautionary measure.
Why it matters
Switzerland's unique approach to civil defense offers a case study in national security strategy and preparedness for neutral nations in a volatile geopolitical climate.
LUCERNE, Switzerland — From the outside, the Sonnenberg nuclear bunker looks innocent enough: its entrance is in the middle of a children's playground. But past the seesaws and swing sets, carved into a hill, is a thick blast-proof door that, when opened, exposes a narrow, well-lit tunnel that gently descends as far as the eye can see.
Sonnenberg Bunker guide Zora Schelbert walks slowly down the tunnel toward the main structure of the bunker, built in the 1970s, during the Cold War, to house 20,000 people in the event of a nuclear war.
"Back then, 20,000 people constituted a third of our city's inhabitants," says Schelbert. "So every third person in the city of Lucerne was once supposed to be sheltered in this bunker."
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