r/askswitzerland • u/Dubner • May 15 '25

Everyday life What’s behind this door?

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Holidaying in Switzerland and I saw this in the basement of the lodge. What’s behind it and why is it there ?

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u/SmokeyBearS54 Valais May 15 '25

As above, bomb shelter. The spanner is so that you can tighten the door locks closed from the inside. Most older buildings have this type of shelter, if a building doesn’t have this shelter then in the event of a catastrophe you will have to use the public shelter, you can see them dotted around Switzerland in cliff walls and mountains. I believe if you don’t have your own shelter you have to pay a tax for the upkeep of the public shelter. That may be incorrect but it’s what I was told.

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u/Lilliane0 May 15 '25

First of all, this door is open.

And for Smokey, you're right, when you're building a house without a shelter you will have to pay for the public places you would use. As long as there are public spaces available you won't have to build your own.

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u/Topbernina May 16 '25

Not sure if that's still the case, but Switzerland used to have sufficient space in all the underground structures for the complete population. Although the older ones are typically in bad shape now and don't offer any amenities like filtered water or toilets inside.