Locations and visual connections of watch towers

The Hochwachten (watch towers) – also called Chutzen or Signal in French – were signal points on mountain peaks or in prominent locations in Switzerland. They were used to transmit military messages or alerts.

The Hochwachten towers consisted of an observation tower, a fireplace with an iron pot, a visor instrument and a watchman’s cabin as accommodation. Visual signals were transmitted from mountain to mountain using the iron pot, so the troops could be assembled or made aware of dangers. This was done with smoke by day, with fire at night and with mortars in fog. The visor device served to differentiate the watch fire from other fires by lining it up exactly with the surrounding Hochwachten towers.

This type of alerting existed in the Canton of Bern from the mid 15th century and in the original cantons since 1529. The alarm system was established in the Canton of Zurich in 1624 during the Thirty Years’ War. The network of signal points was expanded considerably in the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, Bern had 156 Hochwachten towers between the Rhine and Lake Geneva, Thurgau had 51, Fribourg 33, Zurich 23, Appenzell 21, Lucerne 17, St. Gallen 11 and Basel 5.

The Hochwachten tower alarm system was very fast, for example, all 23 Hochwachten towers in the Canton of Zurich could pass on the signal in 15 minutes. The most famous Hochwachten towers were located in the Canton of Zurich on the Lägern, Irchel and Uetliberg mountains.

The Hochwachten tower system was last used in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War; it had already been abolished in 1812 in the Canton of Zurich and replaced by the telegraph system. The Alpine fires lit on the Swiss national holiday are, in some places, interpreted as a reminder of these Hochwachten towers.

Field names or place names such as Chutzen, Guggershörnli, Hohwacht, Pfannenstiel, Wachthubel, Meldegg and Signal (e.g. Signal de Bougy, Signal de Chexbres) have survived from the era of Hochwachten towers.