In the Heart of the Land of Castles and Bunkers – the Sperrstelle Albula

From A for Andeer to Z for Zuoz: defensive-residential towers dating back to the Middle Ages can be found throughout Graubünden. Due to their prominent location and massive construction, they are usually visible from afar.

In contrast, the roughly 300 fortifications, established shortly before the start of World War II or during the war, are camouflaged and well-hidden from view – built into the mountainside or ground.

For decades, thus, very few would have guessed that, directly adjacent to the road crossing the Albula pass, there is a bunker. The so-called Felsenwerke, built into the rocks on the mountain slopes on either side of the bunker, attracted even less attention. They served as armed, camouflaged fortifications protecting the three-storey bunker, which extends to a depth of over eleven meters into the ground. Together they formed a so-called Sperrstelle, a military barrier to defend Central Graubünden.

Despite the bunker’s massive construction, the ravages of time have taken their toll on the structure. Water seeped in, rust set in, and the construction was damaged by thawing permafrost. In order to survive, the fortification had to undergo extensive renovations – a task which could be fulfilled by its owner, the association Verein Militärhistorische Anlagen Albulatal, only during the summer months. After three summers of intensive renovation work, the bunker’s armoured doors were opened to the public in 2018.