Festung Fürigen

Useful Information

Location:	Nidwalden.
Open:	APR to OCT Sat, Sun 11-17. [2022]
Fee:
Classification:	World War II Bunker Secret Bunker
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	A=436 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided. D=90 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Nidwaldner Museum, Mürgstrasse 12, 6371 Stans, Tel: +41-41-618-7340, Fax: +41-41-618-7342. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

FEB-1941	Begin of construction.
JUL-1942	completed.
OCT-1942	technical inspection and handover to the army.
1987	fortress abandoned.
1991	fortress museum opened to the public.

Description

The Festung Fürigen (Fürigen fortress) is an original fortress from World War II. It was also called Artilleriewerk Fürigen, the denomination of the army was A 2255. It was also in use during the Cold War, but was abandoned even before the end of the Cold War in 1987. Most of the interiors is from the time of World War II and give a good insight into the life in a fortress during the war. There are kitchen, bureaus, hospital, living and sleeping rooms, the rooms are fully equipped.

The fortress was built into the foot of the Bürgenstock mountains at the shore of the Vierwaldstättersee. The bunker has an entrance at the road along the shores of the Vierwaldstättersee, between Kehrsiten and Stansstadt. The main tunnel runs parallel to the cliff face, with side tunnels to the cannons and machine guns in the cliff. One of the tunnels was used for fresh air. On the other side there were side tunnels with bunker infrastructure like hospital, water tanks, sleeping rooms and ammunition store. At the end of the main tunnel was the machine room, where generators produced the necessary energy.

The fortress museum is a section of the Nidwaldner Museum. It is open only on weekends, and museum it is a sort of on site exhibition which is visited self-guided. This is quite exceptional, most military forts are open only on guided tours.