Postcards from Lucerne, Switzerland

The octagonal water tower from the Chapel Bridge, Lucerne Switzerland

Lucerne’s Octagonal Water Tower
Halfway across the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) – originally built over the Reuss River in Lucerne in 1333 – you’ll see the 13th century Water Tower (Wasserturm).
Together, that is some ancient wood and brick!

Lucerne has history.

Of course, every place has a history.

But – as is the case across Europe – so much of Lucerne’s history is still present in the wood, the stones, and the brickwork of the Old City.

Lucerne also has scenery: sitting on Lake Lucerne where the Reuss runs into it, and surrounded by mountains – including Rigi and Pilatus – Lucerne is in a picture-postcard location.

The area has been dominated by Germanic people since the fall of the Roman Empire early in the 6th century; the Benedictine Monastery of St. Leodegar was founded there around 750, and the rest of the community grew alongside it, gaining independence as a city around 1178.

Today, as the biggest town in Central Switzerland, Lucerne is the urban centre for economics, transportation, culture, and media in the region, as well as a popular destination for tourists.

Walking through the medieval laneways of the Old City, it is easy to see why!

Reflections of Luzern-Interlaken Express trains in motion, Switzerland

Luzern-Interlaken Express
We stopped in Lucerne twice – once from Interlaken to the southeast, and once from Rapperswil-Jona, further northwest. Both times, the Swiss trains were clean and efficient – and afforded us magnificent views.

Lucerne Railway Station archway, Switzerland

Lucerne Railway Station
On our first visit, we were simply changing trains. We had enough time to admire this archway – all that is left of the of the old station, which was built in 1896, but burned down in 1971.

Old Lucerne
The medieval Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) crosses the Reuss where it meets Lake Lucerne.

Swan on Lake Lucerne
Mute swans (cygnus olor) are a common sight on the lake and river.

Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor)

Medieval Architecture on the Reuss
The Old City of Lucerne straddles the Reuss, and many of the buildings either side of the river dates back to the Middle Ages.

Kapellbrücke
Several bridges cross the Reuss to link the two sides of Lucerne. The 204 m (669 ft) long Chapel Bridge is the most famous of them.

Kapellbrücke
Originally built in 1333, the Chapel Bridge is the oldest covered bridge in Europe.

Petunias on the Kapellbrücke
Much of the bridge is actually new, however, having been reconstructed after a fire in 1993.

Kapellbrücke – Chapel Bridge

A Small Price for Music
The Rathausquai on the north bank of the Reuss is lined with shops …

Lunch with a View
… and restaurants with outdoor seating and views across the river to the Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church). This beautiful old baroque building was started in 1667 and consecrated in 1677 – although the onion domes were not added until 1893.

Rathaussteg and the Jesuitenkirche
The relatively modern (1961) Rathaussteg (Town Hall Bridge) is a bicycle and pedestrian river crossing.

City Tourist Train on the Rathaussteg

Altstadt Luzern
Wandering around the Altstadt (Old City) is a delight; …

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern Kornmarkt
… old half-timber buildings with intricate and colourful murals …

Man in an Altstadt Window
… have been retrofitted to house restaurants, shops, apartments, …

Hotel des Balances Weinmarkt
… and even up-market hotels.

Altes Luzerner Rathaus – Old Lucerne City Hall

Views from the Rathaussteg

Lucerne’s Octagonal Wasserturm
The Rathaussteg allows views to the old 111-foot (34 metres) tall Water Tower and the mountains behind.

Double-Headed Eagle

Van Laack Gesellschaft mit Beschränkter Haftung
Tourists admire the old buildings …

Onto the Kapellbrücke
… and cross the meandering Chapel Bridge.

On the Kapellbrücke

Historical Scenes
In the seventeenth century, the Kapellbrücke was decorated with paintings depicting events in local history.

On the Steps of St. Leodegar
Known as “Hofkirche”, the late Renaissance-style St. Leodegar Church (1633) was named for the city’s patron saint.

Movement
Just as old buildings intermingle with new, bicycles, pedestrians, and vehicles share the roadways.

Löwendenkmal – The Lion Monument
To anyone who has read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, this lion is reminiscent of Aslan, but the Lucerne lion predates considerably C. S. Lewis’ invention.

Löwendenkmal – The Lion Monument
Designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and carved from the rock-face in 1820–21, the dying lion commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were killed in Paris in 1792 during the French Revolution.

In A Tramp Abroad (1880), American author Mark Twain called the Lion Monument “the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world”.

On that mournful note, we walked back across the Old City and crossed the Reuss back to the train station, and rode the Swiss rails out of town…

Until next time –