Tobleroneweg

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Tobleroneweg

The Tobleroneweg ( French Sentier des Toblerones ) is a 17 km long Swiss educational trail and hiking trail that runs along the defensive line of the Promenthouse ( French Ligne fortifiée de la Promenthouse ). The line was built from 1938 near Gland in the canton of Vaud by the Border Brigade 1 and was intended to stop and delay an invasion from the west. The Promenthouse and Gland barriers are considered military monuments of national importance.

Naming

The shape of the hump lines , which serve as an anti-tank barrier , is reminiscent of the Toblerone brand chocolate . The vernacular adopted this name for the hump lines. The «Tobleronen» (English: dragon's teeth) belong to the most common anti-tank traps worldwide , along with the Spanish rider .

geography

The starting point of the Tobleroneweg is the Bassins stop (stop on request) 753 m above sea level. M. on the Chemin de fer Nyon – Saint-Cergue – Morez railway line . The path is signposted throughout with yellow rhombuses and signposts and takes about 4–5 hours to walk. The underpasses by the bridges may not be entered during high water.

The defense line began on the Jura heights at La Dunanche in the municipality of Bassins at 1117 m above sea level. M. , followed the natural obstacles of the Ruisseau de la Combe , la Serine and la Promenthouse rivers, which flow through the municipalities of Begnins , Vich , Gland and Prangins , and ended on the shores of Lake Geneva at 372 m above sea level. M.

history

The planning of the line began in 1937 and the construction in 1938 with one-meter-long railroad tracks anchored in the ground as anti-tank barriers. From 1940 these were replaced with concrete humps (Tobleronen) and the bunkers were built.

In 1996 the Association de la ligne fortifiée de la Promenthouse was founded to preserve this important military historical witness of the Second World War for posterity. For the English conflict archaeologist Fiona Elizabeth Ross, the 17 bunkers are silent witnesses of Switzerland's experience of armed neutrality in the global conflict of World War II from the time of their planning until today.

Fortifications

The Promenthouse defense line was supposed to be the first line to stop an attack from the west and to secure the main road between Geneva and Lausanne with the bridge over the Promenthouse and prevent a bypass.

Tank traps and explosive objects

The Toblerone hump lines with their 2700 concrete humps (the big ones each weighing 9 tons) start at the sawmill in La Cézille, where the Combe flows into the Serine, and go all the way to Lake Geneva. The hiking trail also leads past the explosive objects. The first is the road bridge at La Cézille. Other explosive objects are the motorway bridge over the Serine and the railway bridge over the Promenthouse.

«Toblerone» hump line
Toblerone chocolate
Cusp line along the serine
Completion of the hump line on Lake Geneva
Explosive object La Cézile road bridge
Explosive object highway bridge

bunker

The line comprised 17 fortified bunkers, which were equipped with machine guns and some with anti-tank cannons . The first two bunkers (Bassins Nord 1 and 2) are located at Les Platets, north of Bassins. Four bunkers are placed around La Cézille (La Feuilleuse, La Cézille, Châtelard, Le Ravin), the latter directly below the road on the hiking trail. The next three (La Crosette, Moulin du Creux, Longevy) are at La Crosette, Moulin du Creux and at Vich La Bichette. Four bunkers (Gland Ost, Fontana, Vertelin, Pont Farbel) are located west of Gland at Aux Tuillères, La Foule, Vertelin and Pont Farbel. The two largest bunkers flank the main Lausanne-Geneva road to the north (Villa Verte) and south (Villa Rose) and were able to give each other fire protection. The last two (Bergerie Center, Bergerie Center) are located on the grounds of the Domaine Impérial golf course, right on the hiking trail.

Infantry bunker Bassins Nord A 687, lock Bassins ⊙

Infantry bunker Bassins Sud A 688, lock Bassins ⊙

Infantry bunker Moinsel A 689, lock basins ⊙

La Feuilleuse A 700 infantry bunker, Le Châtelard VD ⊙ barrier 46.449863 6.232611

Cannon shield A 701, lock Le Châtelard VD ⊙

Infantry bunker La Cézille A 703, Le Châtelard VD ⊙ barrier 46.445614 6.233266

Infantry bunker Le Ravin A 704, Le Châtelard VD ⊙ barrier 46.446287 6.237285

Le Châtelard A 705 infantry bunker, Le Châtelard VD ⊙ barrier 46.445326 6.235745

Infantry bunker En Persières A 706, Begnins barrier ⊙

Ball bunker En Persières A 707, Begnins lock ⊙

Infantry bunker Moulin du Creux A 710, barrier Gland VD ⊙

Infantry bunker Vich Sud A 713, barrier Gland VD ⊙

Feuilleuse bunker A 700 La Cézile
Bunker Longevy Vich Sud A 713

Infantry bunker Gland Ouest A 714, barrier Gland VD ⊙46.422949 6.255248
Fontana A 715 infantry bunker, barrier Gland VD ⊙46.418432 6.257792
Infantry bunker Pont Farbel Prangins A 716, barrier Gland VD ⊙46.411574 6.254065
Vertelin infantry bunker A 717, barrier Gland VD ⊙46.414135 6.25985
Infantry bunker Villa Verte A 726, lock Promenthouse VD ⊙46.408985 6.267219
Infantry bunker Villa Rose A 728, lock Promenthouse VD ⊙46.40778 6.270809
Bergerie center A 729 infantry bunker, Promenthouse VD lock ⊙46.405519 6.274863
Infantry bunker Bergerie Lac A 730, lock Promenthouse VD ⊙46.402227 6.280266