Mega-bunker for the super-rich being built in Swiss Alps

A mega-bunker for the assets of the super-rich is being built at Brünig Keystone-SDA

A project straight out of a spy film is taking shape in canton Obwalden in the heart of the Central Swiss Alps.

Beneath the mountains of the Brünig Pass, near the village of Lungern, entrepreneur Thomas Gasser, chairman of the board of directors at Brünig Mega Safe, is building a gigantic complex of underground vaults designed to protect the assets of the world’s wealthiest individuals. A “safe for the rich” that promises to withstand any attack.

Construction is already at an advanced stage, reports Swiss public television RTS. Once completed, access will be restricted to a select few. “You’ll first have to drive through a special checkpoint and get out of your vehicle: there will be several security checks, which obviously won’t be disclosed to the public,” Gasser told RTS. The cameramen were permitted to film only the access tunnels, while the entrance to the future vault room remained off-limits to cameras.

The promised security is of the highest standard: the 20 or so vaults that will house clients’ valuables will be buried beneath over one hundred metres of solid rock. According to the developers, the level of protection will be “comparable to that of the Swiss National Bank”, an effective deterrent even for the most daring criminals.

The timing of the venture appears to be spot on. The market for secure storage is experiencing exponential growth, fuelled by global instability. “For a long time, Dubai was considered safe. Today, that sense of security is being called into question. People simply want to safeguard part of their wealth,” explains Gasser.

Renting a space will not, however, be within everyone’s reach. Each cave is sold on a 99-year lease. The minimum entry price? Almost CHF1 million ($1.23 million). “The advantage is that the client becomes the owner: they have their own parcel number in the land register and can even mortgage the property,” adds the developer, who reports that several clients have already signed up.

Mixed local reactions

What will end up in these rock vaults? Works of art, precious metals, classic cars and fine wines. These developments are, however, dividing public opinion in the small village of Lungern. The views gathered by RTS are mixed: some turn up their noses, arguing that “they’re building something for people who already have enough money”, while others say they’re enthusiastic about the idea of seeing the Ferraris of their new bunker “neighbours” whizzing along the Alpine roads.

The concept of secure storage deep within the mountains is not entirely new to Switzerland. In the past, numerous decommissioned military bunkers have already been converted into armoured vaults or high-security data centres. With the Lungern project, however, the bar is being raised even higher, targeting a global elite increasingly keen to protect their assets from global turmoil. The mega-facility is due to open next year.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.