bomb shelter

this is not an entry about our Austria trip, not yet. i thought i'd share an interesting fact and some photos in Switzerland with you.

here are some photos taken from the basement of Simone's house in Ollon. notice the thick metal armored door and window? yes, it's a bomb shelter! In switzerland, a 1963 law required practically every new building to have them in the basement, or sign up for the communal shleter in the city. there was even a bomb shelter industry evolved around that.

the window.

the door. the first question would be: how do I close it?

with the war long gone, the shelter is more like wine cellar and food storage now. :) perhaps we could drink our way through a nuclear war. on the left is the air filtering system. i don't know about this one but i heard most filtering systems have to be hand cranked.

in a country that escaped both wars, it was surprising to see it here. still, many questions comes. For one, how do i know when it's safe get out? 5 years? 10 years? 30 years? i don't expect someone to come knock on the door ( if it can be heard through the door) to get me out. even if i come out alive and in one piece, the danger of radioactivity can still remain for many years to come.