2024-01-14 14:12:46
Urs Kessler, director of the Jungfrau Railway, took office in 2008 with the promise of attracting a million visitors to the Jungfraujoch each year. In 2015, he achieved his goal. But what everyone still didn’t know was that there was highly explosive material stored in the Jungfrau railway tunnel, which stretches 7 km between the Eiger and the Mönch. In 2016, 500 kilos of dynamite were found in a side tunnel, reports “NZZ am Sonntag”. These explosives probably date from the construction period around 1912. According to an expert, dynamite cannot explode on its own. However, even a small shock might have caused it to explode. After this discovery, cantonal and federal explosives experts were immediately called and dispatched to the scene, where they removed the dynamite from the tunnel. The Jungfrau railways acted in an exemplary manner, writes the German-speaking Sunday newspaper. What is less exemplary is the way they tried to cover up the story.
When the facts were regarding to be made public in the “Jungfrau-Zeitung”, Urs Kessler intervened and hushed up the matter. He contacted the newspaper’s publisher, Urs Gossweiler, and allegedly threatened to remove all advertisements from the Jungfrau railway, which earns the publication around 100,000 francs a year. The publisher relented. The story never appeared. When questioned, Urs Kessler denied having made any threats. Contacted by the “NZZ am Sonntag”, half a dozen long-time employees of the “Jungfrau-Zeitung” all reported that contributions that did not suit Urs Kessler were changed or completely buried. It is an open secret”. Urs Kessler will leave office in June 2025. “I probably stepped on some people’s toes,” he told the press.
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