Name: Why Europe lags behind Switzerland in bunker safety
Uploaded: 2025-11-24T11:50:32.688Z
Duration: 4 min 42 s
Description: Switzerland has more than enough bunkers to protect all its citizens — unlike the rest of Europe.

Switzerland has more than enough bunkers to protect all its citizens — unlike the rest of Europe.

Geneva

Switzerland has developed a comprehensive system of bunkers capable of sheltering its entire population, with over 370,000 shelters overseen by the Federal Office for Civil Protection. These bunkers, often integrated into everyday structures like parking garages and residential buildings, are equipped with features such as decontamination rooms, airlocks, water tanks, and generators to ensure readiness for emergencies.

Interest in bunker safety is increasing in other European countries, particularly Germany, which is beginning to collaborate more closely with Swiss authorities. The demand for inspections and new shelters has grown significantly, especially since the onset of Russia's war in Ukraine, as concerns about security and preparedness rise across the continent.

Why Europe lags behind Switzerland in bunker safety

In Geneva, what looks like a perfectly normal parking garage is Christiane Tsinigalia's favourite new project. He plans, builds and inspects bunkers. During peacetime, this is a normal parking garage. In a war, we close this sliding door and it becomes a bunker. In an emergency, more than 2,000 people can shelter here. Everything's been thought out. A kitchen with a super-sized pot, check. And a decontamination room in the event of a nuclear or chemical disaster. This is the airlock. It's a room where people coming from outside have to stay until the air has been completely swapped out. Here, they can decontaminate themselves before joining the others. A few rooms down, the water tank. 186,000 litres. Enough supply to last for at least five days. There's also a generator, ready to go. Switzerland is a small country. We don't have enough people to defend ourselves. Protection has always been more important than waging wars. It's something Germany has probably neglected, because it was historically more of a country that attacked others and wasn't focused on protecting itself. That could be changing. Christiane has already been in contact with companies wanting to build shelters in Germany. His company inspects Swiss bunkers on behalf of local authorities, but also for private individuals and businesses. His services are in demand, just the way he likes it. You start with a blank slate and develop a completely unique project, tailored to the customer's needs. You're there at every step of construction. It's like having a baby and raising it. You follow its development all the way to the end. More people can fit in Switzerland's bunkers than live here, with some 370,000 shelters across the country. The Federal Office for Civil Protection oversees this. Whenever a house is built in Switzerland, a residential building, you either have to build your own shelter according to our office's guidelines, or, if you don't want to do that, you have to make a financial contribution towards a substitute. The local authority then uses that money to build public shelters. The Federal Office for Civil Protection in Germany is also growing increasingly interested. An agreement has just been struck to work more closely with Swiss authorities. Is this paranoia, or a sensible precaution? Opinions are divided. These days it's getting more and more important to have bunkers. The climate's getting worse. There are wars everywhere. I think it's over the top. In my opinion, bunkers now are being used mainly as basements to store extra stuff — suitcases, wine, that sort of thing. In a real emergency, that probably wouldn't be ready as quickly as needed. But Christiane Senegalia is also checking for readiness, including beneath this residential building. Storing skis, wine, general clutter — perfectly fine, as long as it can all be cleared out within five days. The seals here are fine, but cobwebs around the emergency exit have to come down fast. In Switzerland, we like everything nice and tidy. The last inspection of the day. A multi-purpose bunker under a Geneva school. A combined shelter and command center. Here you can connect telephones and stay in contact with the outside world. A leadership and command post. Operators sitting here can communicate with the rest of Switzerland and make decisions on what to do next. Classic technology is reliable even in an emergency, he says. Since Russia's war in Ukraine, Christiane's services are more in demand than ever. People would greet me with a grimace when we came by for an inspection. Now they'll even call up themselves and say, please inspect my shelter as quickly as possible. Business is booming. Swiss-made bunkers are a major export. While he doesn't have customers from Germany yet, Christiane is confident that could change soon.

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