Starting at $500,000: A Swiss mountain vault for storing riches

By Leonard Kehnscherper

Long known as a bastion of discrete, secure banking, Switzerland will soon offer the world’s wealthy another choice for storing their prized possessions: rock vaults carved into foothills of the Alps.

The idea comes from entrepreneurs in central Switzerland, home of the Bruenig massif, a hulking mountain about 25 miles southwest of Lucerne. “Your treasure chamber in a solid rock massif,” Bruenig Mega Safe, the firm building the vaults, says on its website. “The secure place for safekeeping your assets and sensitive data.”

The company plans to use an expanse within the mountain equivalent to about 10 soccer fields, according to board member Hugo Schittenhelm.

The Swiss vaults will range from 100 cubic metres to 1,000 times that large with heights of up to 90 metres, according to the website. The rock walls ensure a constant relative humidity of 40% and temperature of 12 degrees Celsius. Prices start at $500,000 and go up from there.

In addition to storing valuables such as artwork, gold, stock certificates or even classic cars, the vaults are “ideal as a venue for activities that must meet high security requirements”, the firm said.

Potential Clients

The project is being done in conjuction with Gasser Felstechnik, a company that specialises in rock engineering and underground construction.

Bruenig Mega Safe is in talks with about a dozen potential clients, including family offices, art galleries and wealthy individuals, Schittenhelm said. Vault owners are responsible for the cost of building the rooms while the company will provide utilities, security and other services, according to the website. Customers will have round-the-clock access through a tunnel large enough to accommodate trucks.

Aside from being safer, a rock vault is also cheaper to build, Schittenhelm said. “You’ll get faster construction approvals, the roof can’t be damaged and you don’t need barbed wire and dogs.”





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