Brünig Indoor Schiess-Sport-Zentrum

Useful Information

Location:	Walchistrasse 30, 6078 Lungern. At Lungern, south of the village at the end of the valley. Signposted. (46.777307, 8.142367)
Open:	All year Tue-Fri 14-21:30, Sat, Sun 9-17:30. Closed on 01-JAN, 02-JAN, 17-SEP, 01-NOV, 24-Dec, 25-DEC, 26-DEC. [2023]
Fee:	Fee for using the shooting gallery. [2023]
Classification:	underground shooting gallery
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Brünig Indoor Kompetenzzentrum Schiessen, Walchistrasse 30, CH-6078 Lungern, Tel: +41-41-67970-00. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1997	initiative of Thomas Gasser, first planning work for an underground 300 m shooting range.
16-MAR-2001	Unterirdische Schiessanlage Walchi AG founded to build the gallery.
18-MAY-2001	building licence granted.
18-JUN-2001	construction work started.
29-NOV-2002	inauguration of the 300 m, 150 m, and 100 m shooting galleries.

Description

This is a unique subterranea, an underground shooting gallery with a 300 m long gallery. It is said to be the longest civilian underground shooting gallery in the World.

This structure was built as a shooting gallery, the reason are two Swiss passions: safety and shooting. Most Swiss adults have their own weapon, which is a result of hundreds of years of struggle and the need to defend their country. On the other hand they have a very strong attitude towards safety. As a result there are various laws about the security, safety, and environment friendliness of shooting galleries.

The area around Lungau had various shooting galleries, at Sarnen, Alpnach and Giswil. All had to be renovated to meet the new laws or closed. Thomas Gasser had the idea to go underground, which would solve all the problems, and close the old galleries. He started to organize all involved parties in 1997, the stakeholders of the galleries, politicians and the kantonales Amt für Umweltschutz Obwalden (Environmental Protection Office). Journalists and public were fascinated from the solution to former problems. It took some years to get the money and the building licence, but finally in 2001 the construction stared. And in 2002 the underground structure was opened to the public.

This whole structure, with extraordinary long ranges of up to 300 m is very important for sportsmen, hunters and military. But there are also various offers for entertainment, like a cinema shooting gallery, and a pub called Cantina Caverna. All those facts make this an absolute unique structure, the only one of its kind on the world so far.

The Cantina Caverna restaurant is located 30 m deep in the rock of the Brünig Park. The premises are perfectly tailored to family celebrations, weddings, smaller company and club events.

The site was constructed by the Gasser Felstechnik AG based in Lungern. This company specialised in the construction of unusual special structures underground and on mountains, such as cable car stations.