The Museum
From the “Secret Defense” Fort to the Museum of Swiss Values
The Fort de Chillon (structure A390), strategically located on the “Via Francigena - The Way of the Francs” opposite the majestic Chillon Castle, is much more than just a museum. Once classified as one of Switzerland's best-kept military secrets, it is a poignant testimony to Swiss history and resilience at the heart of the 20th century.
Built in 1941, in the midst of the Second World War, Fort de Chillon's main mission was to serve as a strategic defense point along Lake Geneva, protecting one of the crucial access routes to the heart of the Swiss Alps. The fort was designed to resist both air and ground attack, and its underground location made it particularly difficult to detect and attack. It was part of a network of fortifications and bunkers (Le réduit National) designed to enable the Swiss army to resist invasion by retreating into the mountains, where forces could wage a prolonged defensive war.
From the summer of 1940 to the autumn of 1944, Switzerland found itself surrounded by the Axis powers, and threatened in particular by the Third Reich, whose “New Order” would have eventually included it. Caught unawares by France's lightning defeat, the country organized itself around its “national retreat”, whose western gateway, the Fort of Chillon, we will present to the public.
In July 1940, General Henri Guisan ordered the creation of a vast fortified system in the Alps. The aim was to provide the Swiss army with a fallback base from which to pursue three objectives in the event of an invasion: slowing or even halting the enemy's advance, and counter-attacking. This was the birth of the national reduction.
At Chillon, it took the form, from 1942 onwards, of a powerful fortification capable of blocking all passage and enabling the St-Maurice garrison to fight “without a spirit of retreat”, as General Guisan put it. The fort was last occupied by troops in 1994.
“The terrain is in command”. This Fort is a perfect example of this basic principle of military tactics. Throughout the centuries, Switzerland has been able to take advantage of favorable terrain to ensure its defense, and to do so with its army of citizen-soldiers.”
Pierre Streit,
Historian and military expert
The Fort of Chillon Museum: Guardian of Swiss values
The site, which played a crucial role in Switzerland's defense, remained operational until it was disarmed in 1995. It was only in 2001 that the site was declassified as a “defense secret”, paving the way for its transformation into a museum.
Since its opening in 2020, the Fort de Chillon Museum has been a guardian of contemporary history and Swiss values.
Solidarity
During the general mobilization of 1939, the whole of Switzerland came together to face uncertainty. This spirit of solidarity, born in the valleys, towns, and villages, transcended social classes and cantonal borders. Today, it remains a source of inspiration: that of a people united around a common ideal—the defense of freedom and democracy.
Social cohesion
The Second World War revealed the strength of a society capable of overcoming its linguistic, religious, and cultural differences to defend a common future. In the fortresses, French-speaking Swiss, German-speaking Swiss, and Italian-speaking Swiss served side by side, sharing the daily routine of guard duty and the cold. Their commitment embodied the very essence of national cohesion: embracing diversity and putting it at the service of a collective goal.
Swiss ingenuity
Faced with this threat, Switzerland deployed unparalleled technical and organizational ingenuity. In just a few months, engineers, soldiers, and workers built a network of fortifications with remarkable precision. These structures, designed to withstand the unpredictable, remain largely operational today—living symbols of Swiss know-how and ingenuity.
Protection of built heritage
Les forts de la Seconde Guerre mondiale sont aux XXe siècle ce que les châteaux furent au Moyen Âge : de puissants témoins de leur époque. Ils racontent le courage, la prudence et l’ingéniosité d’une nation déterminée à préserver son indépendance. Préserver ces monuments, c’est honorer la mémoire de ceux qui ont bâti, veillé et transmis cet héritage — un patrimoine dont le Fort de Chillon est l’un des joyaux.
The Fort de Chillon Museum does not simply recount history. It invites visitors to become fully involved in their visits by immersing themselves in the daily life of the company that occupied the fort until 1995, the 55th Engineering Company.
History & references
The history of the Second World War will always be a relatively difficult subject to tackle, as pointed out in an analysis made 10 years after the release of the Bergier Report: “Perceptions have become so polarized that there are two very different stories being told, both of which have found their audience. One evokes a Switzerland with its highly developed industry, closely associated with the Axis powers. The other highlights a people's determination to defend themselves, and the political, social and cultural independence of the small neutral state. To isolate these two ways of presenting history from one another is to create two opposing myths, that of a businesslike and immoral Switzerland, against the luminous one of a successful survival strategy”. (Source: Memorado.ch. Le rapport Bergier dix ans après)
During the 39-45 period, four key factors interacted both inside and outside the country.
- The Federal Council
The Federal Council, which received full powers from both chambers on August 30 1939, will run the country without reference to anyone else for the duration of the war. - General Guisan
General Guisan, elected by both chambers on the same day with almost unanimous support (204 votes out of 229). Omnipresent in the field, both among the troops and the civilian population. He became immensely popular. - Finance
National Bank and public and private banks, insurance companies, law firms and trustees - The economy
Vorort, heavy and precision industries continue to expand their exports
The Bergier Report only dealt in depth with the Federal Council's attitude to asylum and refoulement policy, the role of the business location and forced labor in Swiss company subsidiaries in Germany, SBB transit, SNB gold and unclaimed funds. He drew the appropriate conclusions by publishing the evidence of what had happened. The military threat and Switzerland's role as an intelligence hub were not addressed.
The Army, with its strategy of national reduction, remained virtually unchallenged until the end of the Cold War, led by a charismatic general.
The strategy of the National Reductions has prevented the invasion of Switzerland. Bluff or reality? Why not both?
Whatever the case, the stage was set and the myth was born. General Guisan had pulled off his “poker coup”, leaving his mark on history.
The “Réduit” would remain the guiding principle of Swiss army strategy right up to the end of the Cold War. After all, don't we build a fallout shelter in every one of our homes? In a way, the Réduit is part of Switzerland's DNA.