The uncertainty caused by international developments and escalating geopolitical tensions is prompting the wealthiest people to seek alternative ways to protect themselves and their assets.
In the Brünig mountain range in Switzerland, an underground complex is expected to be built for clients willing to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds for a secure space located more than 100 meters below the surface.
Të lidhura
None found
According to the Daily Mail, the Swiss company Brünig Mega Safe plans to open up to 25 underground chambers in the Brünig limestone formation. The project envisions transforming the interior of the mountain into a vast center of protected spaces.
Access to these facilities will initially cost around half a million pounds, or more than 580,000 euros.
The spaces will be used to store works of art, classic cars, wine, safes and other high-value assets. At the same time, the company is presenting them as places where owners can stay temporarily in the event of a disaster or major crisis.
Excavation is expected to begin in January, while the company’s objective is for the security standards to be comparable to those of the Swiss National Bank.
Entry to the complex will be permitted only after several checks have been completed. Thomas Gasser, president of Brünig Mega Safe, said clients would pass through a series of checkpoints before being allowed into the facility.
“First, you will have to pass through a special checkpoint and get out of your vehicle. There will be several security checks, which obviously will not be disclosed to the public,” Gasser said.
Clients will be able to use the facility 24 hours a day via a tunnel large enough to allow trucks to pass through. The company says it has already signed 99-year lease agreements, while the first safes are expected to become operational next year.
The complex will be under constant surveillance.
One of the advantages of facilities built deep inside the mountain is the natural temperature. It is expected to remain at around 13 degrees Celsius, a level suitable for storing wine and works of art.
However, the project has not been designed solely to protect valuables. Amid rising tensions, fears of conflict and concerns about the consequences of climate change, the facilities could also be used for temporary stays during emergencies.
Brünig Mega Safe also plans to build special rooms for clients, with isolated areas, private meeting spaces and lounges.
A training center focusing on security, risk assessment and survival is also planned near the complex.
Thomas Gasser says demand for facilities offering a high level of security is increasing every year, while wealthy individuals are reassessing places they once considered safe.
“For a long time, Dubai was considered safe. Today, that sense of security is being called into question. People simply want to protect part of their wealth,” he said.
Switzerland was chosen for the project partly because of its history of using mountainous terrain for protected facilities. Over the years, many old military bunkers have been converted into safes and data centers.
In 2024, Switzerland launched a program to improve nuclear shelters as part of preparations for a possible war scenario.
A law passed in 1963 guarantees all residents of Switzerland, including foreigners and refugees, a place in shelters designed to protect them from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, as well as from conventional short-range attacks.
The renewed interest in bunkers is not limited to Switzerland. In various European countries, preparations for a major military crisis have once again brought underground infrastructure into focus.
Finland is one of the most prominent examples. Beneath Helsinki are more than 5,500 protected spaces built into rock formations, which can accommodate nearly one million people.
The systematic construction of shelters in Finland began in 1939, after the country was invaded by the Soviet Union and the Winter War began. Since 1954, Finnish legislation has required shelters to be built beneath buildings with an area of more than 1,200 square meters.
From Finland’s public bunkers to private safes costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, underground spaces are once again moving into the spotlight in Europe.
The project in Brünig combines protection from a potential crisis with the luxury and security that only the wealthiest individuals can afford.
