Heldsberg Fortress Museum

The Festungsmuseum Heldsberg in St. Margrethen was a secret defence installation from the Second World War, which remained under the strictest secrecy until the 1980s. The complex is built right into the mountain, with concrete ceilings up to three metres thick and camouflaged exits with painted-on windows. Visitors can see, among other things, a kitchen where up to 200 soldiers were once fed, a dormitory, a sick room and an operating theatre. The fortress has up to a kilometre of tunnels, where a guided tour also allows visitors to operate a former cannon and a machine gun. Guided tours of the museum are offered by the team of the Festungsmuseum Heldsberg.