Switzerland maintains nuclear bunker network

Switzerland maintains the world's most extensive network of nuclear bomb shelters, with over 370,000 shelters guaranteeing a space for each of its 9 million citizens. The Switzerland — Sonnenberg Bunker in Lucerne, built in the 1970s to house 20,000 people, is the largest. After the Cold War, Switzerland expanded the system rather than dismantling it, and in 2011, a parliamentary debate to end the program was abandoned following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Every residential building must either include a bunker or contribute to a state-maintained facility, with citizens paying between $1,700 and $3,500. In peacetime, bunkers are repurposed for wine cellars, saunas, or storage. The Switzerland — Sonnenberg Bunker's capacity was reduced to 2,000 in 2002, and it now houses refugees and homeless people, a use that has drawn criticism. The government spends tens of millions of dollars annually to maintain the network, which has never been used for its original purpose.