Lucerne voters to have their say on the Rothenburg Security Center
Lucerne/Rothenburg - On November 29, 2026, voters in Lucerne will go to the polls to cast their ballots on the construction of the new Rothenburg Security Center. Back in June, the Cantonal Council of Lucerne unanimously approved an investment of 276 million Swiss francs to bring together a range services at this site.
A public referendum on the Rothenburg Security Center has been organized for November 29, 2026. According to a statement issued by the canton of Lucerne on November 2, 2026, the aim of the center is to enhance security by consolidating security-related cantonal services in a single location. “With this project, we are laying the foundations to meet the canton’s long-term needs”, as Reto Wyss, member of the cantonal government and head of the cantonal finance department, explains. “Where it makes sense for collaboration and the efficient use of infrastructure, various functions are to be brought together.”
The canton calls the security center, which is expected to come at a cost of 276 million Swiss francs, a “well-planned, comprehensive and cost-effective solution” in the project description. During its June session, the Cantonal Council of Lucerne, which is the legislative body of the canton, unanimously approved the cantonal government’s proposal for an investment in this amount. Assuming that the Lucerne electorate also assents to this project, construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2027 and be completed by the fall of 2032.
In March 2023, the Cantonal Council had approved 22 million Swiss francs for the planning of this building situated between Rothenburg train station and the A2 motorway. The centerpiece of the new facility will be an integrated control center serving the cantons of Lucerne, Obwalden and Nidwalden, where emergency calls and the deployment of emergency services will be coordinated on a cross-cantonal basis – a “genuine first” in Switzerland, according to the canton of Lucerne. The plans also include a detention center, a firearms training facility, a workshop and a laboratory for the cantonal department responsible for food inspection and consumer protection.
“Security does not simply come into existence at the start of an operation”, comments Ylfete Fanaj, director of the cantonal department of justice and security. “It requires robust structures in the background that staff can rely on”.
The police’s criminal investigation department will remain at Kasimir-Pfyffer-Strasse, ensuring that the Rothenburg Security Center has set aside enough space to handle future developments. In total, 4,000 square meters of “strategic reserve space” have been earmarked in Rothenburg, which is equivalent to around 13 percent of the total usable area of approximately 31,000 square meters. For the time being, these areas will be left as shell constructions. According to the cantonal government, utilizing them would require a new investment and, in all likelihood, formal planning permission as well.
