Picture: The heavily fortified entrance to former top-secret Fort Vitznau between Weggis and Brunnen.
We Swiss love to dig holes as tunnels across Switzerland easily tell. But we love to build not only tunnels, also military fortifications can be found across Switzerland. After Switzerland signed the Viennese Treaty and committed itself to armed neutrality, the Swiss army started to build at the end of the 19th century fortress across Switzerland with the Fort Airolo in the St.Gotthard being the most modern at that time. The idea of the Réduit, or the retreat into a heavily fortified mountain area in case of a German attack, was born in the Second World War. The three biggest fortresses who protected the entries into the mountains were St.Maurice (Valais), St.Gotthard (North-South axis) and Sargans (St.Gallen in the East). The fortresses ranged from small shelters to massive structures for artillery and infantry. 
Picture: One of the two 10.5cm guns inside the fort.
I visited a smaller between Weggis and Brunnen on the Lake Vierwaldstätter: Fort Vitznau. This artillery fort was in use between 1942 until 1992 and has two 10.5cm canons and room for 100 soldiers. It looks like new and the tour gave a vivid impression of life in the fort (I just spent once a few days in one during military service). Every Friday a two hours tour of the fort takes place and to my surprise my Asian friend decided it to be the best part of all attractions we visited in Switzerland. It is true: Switzerland is like a Swiss cheese: it has many holes!
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