This Swiss company praised by the whole world has gone bankrupt

Oppidum, a Lucerne-based company, has wowed the world with its ultra-luxurious bunkers that are supposed to withstand all disasters. However, a Watson investigation reveals that the company’s promises are far from reality.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, luxury bunkers have become popular among the super-rich. Personalities like Mark Zuckerberg are investing astronomical sums in autonomous and ultra-secure residences, like his Hawaiian complex, valued at $270 million, equipped with a gigantic underground bunker.

The founder of Meta is not alone in anticipating the worst scenarios. In 2017, Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, told New Yorker that more than half of Silicon Valley’s billionaires had acquired some form of “doomsday insurance,” often in the form of bunkers.

It is in this context that Oppidum, a company founded in 2020 by Czech entrepreneur Jakub Zamrazil and based in Lucerne, quickly established itself on this niche market. Promising luxurious hideaways that could cost up to $100 million, the company relied on slick visualizations to convince. According to his claims, his bunkers would be able to withstand all imaginable disasters.

A dazzling media success

The idea of ​​luxury bunkers “made in Switzerland” quickly won over the international press, which widely relayed Oppidum’s promises. Prestigious publications like Architectural Digest, Forbes et Gulf News devoted articles to the company, targeting a wealthy clientele hungry for exclusivity.

Even the NZZ became interested in the subject in October 2024, touting an ambitious project located in the Czech Republic. According to Oppidum, this bunker, presented as “one of the largest in the world”, would extend over 323,000 m² and could accommodate occupants for up to ten years without external assistance. The complex would include swimming pools, movie theaters and conference spaces.

Yet, no actual photos of this alleged titanic bunker have ever been published. The rare illustrations relayed by media like Forbes come down to synthetic images.

Doubts that accumulate

Since February 2024, Watson has made several attempts to contact Oppidum, but his requests have gone unanswered or been rebuffed. Our investigation focused on key questions: Who finances these projects with disproportionate ambitions? Is there at least one bunker built by Oppidum? The answers were never provided.

In October, after we contacted eight current and former employees of the company – all of whom declined to speak – founder Jakub Zamrazil eventually responded by email, promising to contact us in December. But when that moment arrived, his message was summed up in a single sentence:

Oppidum, which knew how to capitalize on the craze for survival scenarios, today seems incapable of supporting its own ambitions. A bankruptcy which leaves serious doubts about the reality of its promises, but also about the lucrative market for luxury bunkers.

Translated and adapted by Noëline Flippe

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