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Lucerne (60,000 inhabitants) is a beautiful town in central Switzerland, the capital of the canton of Lucerne, overlooking the Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee). The city is set in a beautiful landscape of water and mountains, on which stand the Rigi mountains and Mount Pilatus. The city of Lucerne is located at the northwestern end of Lake Lucerne, at the point where the Reuss River flows into the lake. Reuss River divides the city into the Old Town and the New Town. These two parts of the city are connected by two medieval wooden bridges: the Kapellbrücke and the Spreuerbrücke.
The city of Lucerne has its roots in the Middle Ages, when in 750 AD the Benedictine monastery of St. Leodegar was founded on the site where the city stands today. In the 12th century Lucerne began to develop thanks to its strategic position along the St. Gotthard Pass road. In the 14th century Lucerne was among the founding cities of the Swiss Confederation and remained one of the dominant members until the 16th century.
WHAT TO SEE: THE MAIN ATTRACTIONS OF LUCERNE
Thanks to its location and the beauty of its historic center, rich in watch shops, among others, Lucerne has become a popular tourist destination. The old part of the city also features interesting medieval buildings such as the famous 14th century Kapellbrücke wooden bridge. It is the oldest wooden bridge still existing on the European continent. The Spreuerbrücke, another medieval wooden bridge built in the early 15th century, is also very old.
TWO VERY INTERESTING SQUARES
The two most interesting squares in the city center are the medieval-looking Weinmarkt and the Mühlenplatz. In addition to the two medieval bridges, the historic center of Lucerne has other interesting historic buildings. These include the late Renaissance town hall (Rathaus) built in the early 17th century. The Ritter’scher Palast, a three-storey Renaissance palace with a porticoed courtyard built in the mid-16th century. The most important church in the city is the Renaissance Hofkirche (St. Leodegar im Hof) which dates back to the 17th century. Lucerne also houses a beautiful Baroque church, the Jesuit church (Jesuitenkirche) built in 1666. In the city there are large tracts of the ancient medieval fortifications (Museggmauer und Museggtürme). They extend for about 870 meters and date back to the fourteenth century.
PICASSO AND KLEE WORKS
In the Sammlung Rosengart, an Art Museum, located in the neoclassical former building of the National Bank, hundreds of works by Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee are exhibited as well as other works by modern art artists. The museums include the Historical Museum (Historisches Museum Luzern), housed in the former arsenal and which houses objects from the history of the city and the canton of Lucerne. Among the most interesting museums the famous Swiss Transport Museum (Verkehrshaus der Schweiz). Where you can admire a large collection of locomotives, trains, cars, ships and airplanes, this is the most visited museum in all of Switzerland.
The Lucerne Glacier Garden (Gletschergarten Luzern) is a natural monument with park and museum attached. In this structure works of glacial erosion are visible, such as the mufflers of the giants, and fossil remains. Another attraction is the so-called Labyrinth of mirrors dating back to the year 1896. Immediately adjacent to the Glacier Garden are the Bourbaki-Panorama and the Alpineum.
As for contemporary architecture, the Kkl building is a large multipurpose complex designed by the architect Jean Nouvel, where the museum of fine arts (Kunstmuseum), an auditorium and a concert hall are located.
In the surroundings of Lucerne, Mount Pilatus (2,129 meters) should be visited. Preferably using the daring rack railway from Alpnachstad which has slopes that reach 48%, and Mount Bürgenstock (1,127 meters), reachable by funicular, from which they have vast views of the lakes and the Alps. Do not miss a boat cruise on Lake Lucerne.
The climate of Lucerne.