Soldiers at the Murten fortifications preparing for battle in the Unterfeld redoubt. Animation by Klaas Kaat. Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

Reinforcing the language border – literally

The Murten fortifications were set up in the First World War to defend Switzerland against an attack from the west by France. Trenches and bunkers were dug in the Bernese Seeland and the area around Murten. Many of these structures actually mark the border between the French and German-speaking parts of the country.

Juri Jaquemet

Dr. phil., Curator of the Information and Communication Technology Collection, Museum of Communication, Berne

The lowering of the water level from the first Jura water correction made it easier to cross the ‘Grosse Moos’ (great marsh). The marshes had previously been a natural barrier to accessing the country’s interior. From 1901, Bern was connected by rail to Pontarlier via Neuchâtel and Val de Travers. It was the shortest route from France to Bern. After the Lötschberg-Simplon rail connection opened in 1913, the Pontarlier-Bern line became part of the second transalpine route through Switzerland.

Following the outbreak of war in 1914, the Swiss military feared an envelopment attack by France in order to reach Germany’s unfortified southern border. That would have allowed France to circumvent the Western front, which had been deadlocked since autumn 1914. To prepare for such an eventuality, the military command ordered the construction of the Murten fortifications in 1914 to guard the Zihl canal–Mont Vully–Murten–Laupen line and protect Bern from attacks launched from the west of the country.

**The Murten fortifications were built at the exact location of the language barrier.** Map: swisstopo / adapted by Juri Jaquemet

The fortifications stood on historically significant land and their name carried echoes from the past, evoking memories of the Confederates’ victory over the army of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, in 1476. An enemy from France had been vanquished in Murten before. In fact, the locals still refer to the vertiginous Val-de-Travers valley in the Jura mountain range as Burgunderloch – a reference to the old Kingdom of Burgundy.

The ‘Burgunderloch’ painted by Auguste-Henry Berthoud towards the end of the 19th century. Animation by Klaas Kaat. Wikimedia

When building the Murten defences, the army constructed strengthened outposts and bunkers from 1914 to 1917. Concrete, a previously sparingly used building material, was employed liberally to construct infantry strongpoints during the first months of the war. They comprised semicircular trench networks surrounded by barbed wire. Concrete shelters in the gorge at the back of the defences offered protection from enemy fire. Each strongpoint was within shooting distance of the next and they flanked each other. Most of them were in open terrain. The builders risked major exposure to enemy artillery for the sake of good visibility and optimal firing conditions. There were also a few isolated artillery batteries in tree-covered slopes where there was some cover.

**An artillery position in the woods at Jolimont hill. It is camouflaged with fir branches to make it invisible from the air.** Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

In 1915, the defences were expanded and reinforced with concrete machine gun bunkers. The unexpectedly long duration of the war also gave the defenders time to add certain modern conveniences, such as running water, lighting and latrines. Moreover, the combat positions were connected by a telephone line and the strongpoints were linked by a network of trenches. This resulted in continuous lines of defence, which were less exposed to artillery fire.

**The Murten fortifications had the latest communication methods and efficient weaponry.** Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

A lot of building work took place, especially in Jolimont – the forested hill between Erlach and Gampelen. To gain tactical depth, a main front in the woods was added to the defence lines in the area around the Zihl canal between lakes Neuchâtel and Biel. Besides more concrete bunkers, tunnels were cut into the cliff with gun holes, a system of trenches was dug deep into the ground with subterranean casemates and ammunition depots as well as searchlights. The soft sandstone enabled the works to proceed quickly.

Another fortification was built in the Hauenstein area to protect Olten railway junction and serve as the basis for an offensive defence of the Jura. In addition to the national border in the Jura, the defences of two key military geographic areas to the north of the Alps had thus been strengthened. In September 1914, about 16,000 men were posted to the Murten fortifications. After that, the number of soldiers sent there was greatly reduced. From October 1914 to the end of 1917, the fortifications were manned by 2,000 soldiers on average. About two-thirds of all Swiss troops served at least one spell in a fortified area.

**Fortification in the Hauenstein region.** Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

Following a rapprochement between France and Switzerland, the army command ordered a stop to construction on the Murten fortifications in August 1917. By then it had about 17,000 metres of trenches, covered shelter for 6,000 men, over 200 partly bunkered machine gun positions, 40 gun positions and 14 artillery batteries.

Fortification along the language divide

Although the military geographic situation determined the location of the fortifications at Murten, it also practically mirrored the language divide between German and French-speaking Switzerland. This posed a political problem, particularly during the first years of the war, as the French speakers tended to side more with the French while the German-speakers’ sympathies lay with Germany. As a result, Switzerland faced one of its biggest domestic crises. Massive propaganda campaigns by both sides on Swiss soil only added fuel to the fire. At the start of the war, the metaphor of a ‘Graben’ or divide entered common parlance in political circles when referring to the linguistic border within the country. The term was apt in two respects: the Saane trench to the south of the Murten fortifications did more or less split the German and French-speaking regions; at the same time trenches were also being dug along the language border. The military structures were out of bounds to the public. Sunday strolls in the woods were restricted. Press reports on the fortifications had to be approved by the Armed Forces’ press monitors. Any violations could result in fines or imprisonment. This probably also explains the media silence surrounding the location of the fortifications at the border between French and German-speaking Switzerland.

**A defensive wall at the language border near Gals. The Zihl canal can be seen on the left. The river marks the German-French language divide.** Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

The commanding officer, chief of staff, general staff officers, artillery commander and commander of the military engineers at the Murten fortifications lived in German-speaking Switzerland. Only the head doctor, horse doctor, the training officer and the motor transport officer came from the western (French-speaking) part of the country. The key roles were not filled by locals from Bern, Fribourg or Vaud. The head of the fortifications, Colonel Beat Heinrich Bolli (1858–1938), a lawyer in civilian life and FDP representative on the Council of States, came from Schaffhausen. His nickname was ‘Der kleine Hindenburg’. Chief of staff was Eugen Bircher (1882-1956). The Aargau native who had strong German sympathies worked as a surgeon. In other words, two German speakers who identified closely with one side in the war were in command of the fortified area running along the language divide.

**Group picture of the Murten fortification command. In the middle Colonel Bolli (sixth from the right) and chief of staff Bircher (fourth from the right).** Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

First and second-class sleeping quarters

The soldiers did not stay in the fortification complex all the time. The available shelter, field kitchens and sanitary facilities merely served to provide some comfort to those personnel who were on duty. While officers like Bolli and Bircher usually enjoyed private accommodation with the village doctor, priest or notary, the soldiers were put up in school buildings, public houses or stables and slept on straw. The rigid social hierarchies remained intact.

The daily drudgery of life in the fortifications mainly took three forms: drill and training, guard duty or working on the fortifications. The soldiers referred to the third activity as “den Tschingg machen”, a reference to the Italian construction workers who, among other things, helped build Switzerland’s railway infrastructure before the war by engaging in mining work.

The Murten fortifications were mainly manned by soldiers over 30 years of age from the ‘Landwehr’ (a reserve unit). Colonel Bolli said in the Council of States that the ‘Landwehr’ were “the best soldiering material we have”. This shows how officers saw their men at the time. Their leadership style was based on the German military model, with distinct hierarchies leading to widespread frustration in the ranks. Operations usually placed situational priorities over people. Military personnel served in the military for 500 days on average and earned a modest wage. There was no such thing as compensation for loss of earnings in those days. This meant many soldiers and their families were at high risk of falling into poverty, and the poor economic and supply conditions only exacerbated the situation. The war ended in Switzerland with the national general strike in 1918.

**A soldier guarding a building shell at the Murten fortifications. The picture probably dates from the end of 1914.** Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

**A corrugated iron shelter in the Ausserfeld strongpoint near Jeuss. The soldiers went there to eat or rest after guard duty.** Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

After the war ended, the army dismantled the field fortifications at Murten. Construction companies and prisoners did the work. Structures on cultivated land were removed, positions in the forest were cleared and buried. The installations were then forgotten about for a few decades. Then, on the eve of the Second World War in 1939, they were suddenly remembered. However, the military command didn’t know what condition the old bunkers were in or even where they were. The engineering corps had to locate the structures, map them and report back to Bern on what state they were in. A number of barrier points were put up during the first years of the Second World War to stop tanks advancing. Some bunkers from the Murten fortifications were incorporated into the new defensive line. Instead of stopping the enemy in their tracks, as in 1914-1918, the barrier points were designed more to slow their advance so the armed forces could withdraw to the redoubt.

**A trench at the mouth of the gorge with concrete shelters. Many field fortifications were dismantled or buried after the war.** Wikimedia / Swiss Federal Archives

Many bunkers, shelters and tunnels in the wooded areas have remained intact since the First World War. In many places, the line of the former trenches can be traced. An association maintains some of the structures. Those constructions that were part of a larger complex are still in good condition, similar to that of monuments. In Erlach, for example, the historic castle, buildings of the Murten fortifications and the barrier point from the Second World War are all close to each other.

**What remained was the memory. Like this engraving by Karl Hänny, with Erlach Castle in the background. It is likely that it was printed and distributed to the troops.** Private collection of Juri Jaquemet

More of: 20th / 21st century Technology War/battle

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