Everything about Lucerne totally explained
Lucerne (
Italian Lucerna) is a city in
Switzerland. It is the capital of the
Canton of Lucerne and seat of the
district with the same name. With a population of 57,890, Lucerne is the most populous city in
Central Switzerland and focal point of the region. The city's
agglomeration consists of 17 municipalities in three
cantons with an overall population of nearly 200,000.
Due to its location on the shore of
Lake Lucerne (
Vierwaldstättersee) within sight of
Mount Pilatus and
Rigi in the
Swiss Alps, Lucerne is traditionally considered first and foremost as a tourist destination. One of the city's famous landmarks is
Chapel Bridge (
Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge first built in the
14th Century.
History
Early history and founding (750–1386)
After the fall of the Roman Empire beginning in the 6th century, Germanic
Alemannic peoples increased their influence on this area of present day Switzerland.
Around 750 the Benedictine Monastery of St. Leodegar was founded, which was later acquired by
Murbach Abbey in
Alsace in the middle of the 9th century, and by this time the area had become known as
Luceria. In 1178 Lucerne acquired its independence from the jurisdiction of Murbach Abbey, and the founding of the city proper probably occurred this same year. The city gained importance as a strategically located gateway for the growing commerce from
Gotthard trade route.
By 1290 Lucerne became a good-sized, self-sufficient city with about 3000 inhabitants. About this time
King Rudolph I von Habsburg gained authority over the Monastery of St. Leodegar and its lands, including Lucerne. The populace didn't appreciate the increasing
Habsburg influence, and Lucerne allied with neighboring towns to seek independence from Habsburg rule. Along with Lucerne, the three other forest cantons of
Uri,
Schwyz and
Unterwalden formed the "eternal"
Swiss Confederacy, known as the
Eidgenossenschaft, on
November 7,
1332. Later the cities
Zurich,
Zug and
Berne joined the alliance. With the help of these additions, the rule of
Austria over the area was ended. The issue was settled through Lucerne’s victory over the Habsburgs in the
Battle of Sempach in 1386. For Lucerne this victory ignited an era of expansion. The city shortly granted many rights to itself, rights which had been withheld by the Habsburgs so far. By this time the borders of Lucerne approximately matched those of today.
From city to city-state (1386–1520)
In 1415 Lucerne gained
Reichsfreiheit from
Emperor Sigismund and became a strong member of the Swiss confederacy. The city developed its infrastructure, raised taxes, and appointed its own local officials. The city’s population of 3000 dropped about 40% due to the
Black Plague around 1350 and several wars.
In 1419 town records show the first witch trial against a male person.
Swiss-Catholic town (1520–1798)
Among the growing towns of the confederacy, Lucerne was especially popular in attracting new residents. As the confederacy broke up during
Reformation after 1520, most cities became Protestant, but Lucerne remained Catholic. After the victory of the Catholics over the Protestants in the
Battle at Kappel in 1531, the Catholic towns dominated the confederacy. The future, however, belonged to the Protestant cities like Zurich, Berne and
Basel, who defeated the catholics in the second
Villmerg War in 1712. The former prominent position of Lucerne in the confederacy was lost forever. In the 16th and 17th centuries wars and epidemics became more and more seldom, and so the population in the country increased strongly.
Lucerne was also involved in the
Swiss peasant war of 1653.
Century of revolutions (1798–1914)
In 1798, nine years after the beginning of the
French Revolution, the French army marched into Switzerland. The old confederacy collapsed and the government became democratic. The industrial revolution hit Lucerne rather late, and by 1860 only 1.7% of the population worked in industry, which was about a quarter of the countrywide rate at that time. Agriculture, which employed about 40% of the workers, was the main form of economic output in the Canton. Nevertheless, industry was attracted to the city from areas around Lucerne. From 1850 to 1913 the population quadrupled and the flow of settlers increased. In 1856 trains first linked the city to
Olten and Basel, then Zug and Zurich in 1864 and finally in 1897 to the south.
Lucerne today
On
June 17,
2007, voters of Lucerne and the adjacent
municipality of
Littau agreed on a merger in a simultaneously held
referendum, becoming effective on
January 1,
2010. The combined municipality will have a population of around 75,000, making it the seventh largest city in Switzerland, and keep the name and coat of arms of the city of Lucerne. The successful referendum is expected to pave the way for negotiations with other neighbouring municipalities in an effort to create a unified city-region, based on the results of a study.
Sights
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Since the city straddles the
Reuss River where it drains the lake, it has a number of bridges. The most famous is the Chapel Bridge (
Kapellbrücke), a 204 m (670 ft) long wooden bridge originally built in
1333, although much of it had to be replaced after a
1993 fire, allegedly caused by a group of smokers. Partway across, the bridge runs by the octagonal Water Tower (
Wasserturm), a fortification from the
13th century. Inside the bridge are a series of paintings from the
17th century depicting events from Luzern's history. The Bridge with its Tower is the city's most famous landmark.
Downriver, between the Kasernenplatz and the Mühlenplatz, the
Spreuerbrücke or Mill Bridge zigzags across the Reuss. Constructed in
1408, it's the oldest covered bridge in
Europe and features a series of medieval-style 17th Century plague paintings by
Kaspar Meglinger titled
Dance of Death. Meglinger's paintings portray various conditions of men and women, priests and warriors, princes and men of learning, the young bride, the devout nun, the lawmaker, the hunter, the miller, even the artist himself, are all depicted at the mercy of Death, with his mocking smile and his ever-changing garb. These paintings, suitable for a Benedictine abbey, are seen by every inhabitant of beautiful Lucerne who crosses the river via the
Spreuerbrücke. It has a small chapel in the middle that was added in
1568.
Old Town Lucerne is located just north of the Reuss River, and still has several fine
half-timber structures with painted fronts. Remnants of the old town walls exist on the hill above Lucerne, complete with eight tall watch towers. An additional gated tower sits at the base of the hill on the banks of the Reuss River.
The twin needle towers of the
church of
St. Leodegar, which was named after the city's patron saint, sit on a small hill just above the lakefront. Originally built in
735, the present structure was erected in
1633 in the late
Renaissance style. However, the towers are surviving remnants of an earlier structure. The interior is richly decorated. The church is popularly called the
Hofkirche (German) and is known locally as the
Hofchile (Swiss-German).
Bertel Thorvaldsen's famous carving of a dying lion (the
Lion Monument, or
Löwendenkmal) is found in a small park just off Lowenplatz. The carving commemorates the hundreds of
Swiss Guards who were massacred in
1792 during the
French Revolution, when the
mob stormed the
Tuileries Palace in
Paris.
The
Swiss Transport Museum is a large and comprehensive museum exhibiting all forms of transport, including
locomotives,
automobiles,
ships, and
aircraft.
The
Culture and Convention Center beside the lake in the center of the city was designed by
Jean Nouvel. The center has one of the world's leading concert halls, with acoustics by Russell Johnson.
Culture and Entertainment
Culture
Since plans for the new culture and convention center arose in the late 1980s, Lucerne has found a balance between the so-called established culture and
alternative culture. A consensus was reached that culminated in a culture compromise (Kulturkompromiss). The established culture comprises KKL with its concert hall, the city theater (Luzerner Theater) and in a broader sense smaller establishments such as Kleintheater founded by Lucerne native and
comedian Emil Steinberger or Stadtkeller, a music restaurant in the city's old town and the like.
Alternative culture took place mostly in the premises of a former tube factory, which became known as
Boa. Other localities for alternative culture have emerged since in the very same quarter as Boa. At the beginning, Boa staged various plays, but concerts became more and more common. That new use was disparate with the development of
apartment buildings on the nearby lots of land. Due to possible noise pollution, Boa was closed and a replacement in a less heavily inhabited area is currently under construction. Critics claimed though, that the new establishment wouldn't meet the requirements for alternative culture. Lucerne's Modern Musseum (Kuntsmusseum) is also placed on the KKL.
Events
Every year, towards the end of winter,
Carnival breaks out in the streets, alleyways and squares of the old town. This is a glittering outdoor party, where chaos and merriness reign and nothing is as it normally is. Strange characters in fantastic masks and costumes make their way through the alleyways, while carnival bands (Guggenmusigen) blow their instruments in joyful cacophony and thousands of bizarrely clad people sing and dance away the winter. Lucerne Carnival starts every year on the Thursday before
Ash Wednesday with a big bang. There are big parades on
Dirty Thursday and the following Monday, called
Fat Monday, which attracts tens of thousands of people. Lucerne's Carnival ends with a crowning finish on
Fat Tuesday evening with a tremendous parade of big bands, lights and lanterns. After the parade all the bands wander through the city playing their hearts out and shaking the old buildings down to their foundations.
The city hosts various renowned festivals throughout the year. The Lucerne Festival for classical music takes place in summer and around
Easter. Its orchestra, the
Lucerne Festival Orchestra is hand-picked from some of the finest instrumentalists in the world. In July,
Blue Balls Festival brings jazz, blues and funk music to the lake promenade and halls of the Culture and Convention Center. The
Lucerne Blues Festival is another musical festival which usually takes place in November. Since spring 2004, Lucerne hosts the
Festival Rose d'Or for television entertainment. And in April, the well-established comics festival
Fumetto attracts an international audience.
Being the cultural center of a rather rural region, Lucerne regularly holds different
folklore festivals, such as
Lucerne Cheese Festival which is held annually. In 2004, Lucerne was the focus of
Swiss Wrestling fans when it had hosted the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine festival (Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest), which takes place every three years in a different location. A national music festival (Eidgenössiches Musikfest) attracted marching bands from all parts of Switzerland in 2006. In summer 2008, the jodelling festival (Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest) is expected to have similar impact.
Sports
There are several
football (soccer) clubs throughout the city. The most successful one is
FC Luzern of the
Swiss Super League, coached by former Swiss international
footballer Ciriaco Sforza. The club plays its home matches at
Allmend stadium, an outdated 13.000-capacity field in the south of the city. There are plans for a modern football arena combined with an indoor swimming pool and public sports facilities. The complex isn't expected to be ready before
2009.
In the past, Lucerne also produced national successes in men's
handball and women's
volleyball.
Having a long tradition of
equestrian sports, Lucerne has co-hosted CSIO Switzerland, an international equestrian
show jumping event, until it left entirely for
St. Gallen in
2006. Since then, the Lucerne Equestrian Masters took its place. There is also an annual
horse racing event, usually taking place in August.
Lucerne annually hosts the final leg of the
Rowing World Cup on
Rotsee Lake, and has hosted numerous
World Rowing Championships, among others the first ever in
1962. Lucerne was also bidding for the
2011 issue but failed.
The city also provides facilities for
ice-hockey,
figure-skating,
golf,
swimming,
basketball,
rugby,
skateboarding,
climbing and more.
Transport
Lucerne boasts a developed and well-run transport network, with the main operator being
VBL which runs both
buses and
trolleybuses in the city. Other operators, such as
Auto AG Rothenburg provide
bus services to the neighbouring towns and villages. The city enjoys excellent links to the rest of Switzerland, with
rail services operated by
SBB and
Zentralbahn.
Sister cities
Lucerne is
twinned with the following towns:
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lucerne'.
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