Millionaires store bitcoins in secret bunker in Uri
In a mountain in the canton of Uri there is a bunker where millionaires store their bitcoins. A reporter visited the high-security wing and took videos and pictures.
Millionaires store their bitcoin data in a bunker on Lake Lucerne. The reporter Joon Ian Wong of the news portal “Quartz” is one of the few people who have ever seen this place live. He visited the underground high-security wing and was able to take pictures and videos.
It is not bitcoins themselves that are stored in the 10,000 square meter data center in the bunker, but so-called cryptographic keys. They are worth their weight in gold: Whoever has them has access to the corresponding balances in the Bitcoin network.
Bitcoin storage is a popular target for hacking attacks. That explains the downright paranoid security measures in the bunker: Its exact location is secret. Anyone wishing to enter will be photographed and not only have to provide ID, but also their fingerprints before entering a bulletproof airlock. The bunker’s steel doors, which weigh several tons, are said to be able to withstand a nuclear attack. But of course thick walls and a secret location are not enough for digital values like Bitcoin. The data in the bunker is protected against electronic attacks by a sophisticated system.
The bunker reaches 320 meters deep into the mountain and, according to Wong, consists mainly of three rooms that are connected by tunnels. The bunker was built in 1947 and was the Swiss Army’s secret headquarters during the Cold War. According to Wong, there are still areas that have remained untouched since then. For example, an old map room with huge maps on the walls, old radio equipment, conference tables.
