Discovering Zürich and Switzerland

You may wonder why a neutral country such as Switzerland would have needed such an efficient and elaborate defence network, both during and after the war. Well, that's the Swiss way. In fact, Swiss cities came under attack during World War II and the country had made complex preparations to protect its people during those dark years. Nowadays the former air raid bunker in Wipkingen has been transformed into a museum of wartime memorabilia located in an underground shelter. This museum is one of only four worldwide, the other civil defence museums being located in Finland, Hamburg and Florida.

The ever intrepid Discovering Zürich and Switzerland group made its way, on a freezing cold February day, to this surprising location in the north of the city. Twelve people turned up for what proved to be a fascinating guided tour, in German, given by Jürg-Peter Hug, the museum curator, and Franz Freuler, a former commandant of the Civil Defence unit. We learnt that nowadays Schutz & Rettung Zürich provides a modern civil rescue service supplementing the fire and rescue services, the airport services, the police and the First Aid service, and they take 118 and 144 calls at their Operations Control Centres in the north and south of the city.

However it was the museum, established in the 1950s, that we had come to see. The entrance to the bunker, built in 1941, led into a circular structure comprising three underground levels. The topmost level was the former air-raid shelter, the level below housed the first aid equipment, and the lowest level was the command and communications post. The current exhibition was opened in 2005 and is open to the public on the first Saturday of the month by appointment. Clearly our two guides had made a special presentation for ZIWA, and had even made us our own special poster, and they took great pride in showing off their exhibits and telling us about Switzerland's wartime experiences.

Switzerland was also bombed during the war, in particular in the border cities of Basel and Schaffhausen. Weapons were manufactured in Oerlikon, and Zürich itself was bombed in 1940. Air-raid shelters were built around the city, with the largest being located in the Urania Parkhaus building which can accommodate 9000 people. This building in Wipkingen, which was renovated in 1964, could hold 100 people. The Swiss architect Schindler patented the cylindrical design. Other bunkers still exist in Untere Zäune, Helvetiaplatz and Oerlikon as well as the one in Uraniastrasse. The so-called Operation Switzerland mission, a plan to oppose the feared attack across its northern borders and airstrikes from the Luftwaffe, was never actually put into effect. The last bombing of Zürich was recorded in 1945. The museum contains posters, handwritten journals and photographs from 1939 onwards. We also saw the shower room, a dressing room, a ventilation room and the household equipment recommended for use during wartime such as a broom and a bucket of sand, and we were able to experience the sound of the sirens and the total blackout.

On the floor below, we discovered a fully equipped operating theatre dating from wartime, which contained glass drips, a heart/lung machine, oxygen cylinders and surgical instruments. We saw a demonstration of the old Holger-Nielsen method of resuscitation, and heard about the anaesthetics available at that time. There were also many posters on the wall recalling the Swiss wartime experience. We learnt about rationing, allotments where people were encouraged to grow their own vegetables, and saw old gas masks and other emergency equipment.

Then we descended to the third level where the heating and air conditioning controls were located. There were four bicycles used to generate emergency power. Since 1985 there has been an electrical generator. They have a small kitchen and a so-called 'goulash cannon'. We saw the map room, the newsroom and the control room where Herr Freuler used to serve as Commandant. We discovered that the centre held microfilm files of every inhabitant of Kanton Zürich which were updated nightly: these files on 270,000 inhabitants are now maintained on computer. We saw a not so old copy machine and carbon paper and a mock-up of a reinforced concrete protective door which many modern apartment buildings still have in their cellars.

The modern rescue service is available 24 hours a day in case immediate action is needed. The nuclear siren is tested annually on the first Wednesday in February and makes an excruciatingly painful din. There is also a water alarm in case of flooding. The emergency services work in coordination to provide help in the event of accident, disaster and medical emergency. The Protect and Rescue Service personnel are on duty at such events as the Street Parade and football matches, and are also ready in the case of a catastrophe. All Swiss men over the age of 18 are eligible to join and may serve up to the age of 40; women are invited to become volunteers!

This was truly a unique opportunity to learn more about Swiss history and its mentality. We thank our two guides for their time and attention: more information can be found at www.stadt-zuerich.ch/srz

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