Lucerne is a truly attractive place and the eighth largest city of Switzerland. This city is situated on the shore of Lake Lucerne. Lucerne is considered the capital of Central Switzerland. It is also known as “city of lights” – this name has come from the legend about its foundation.
During your stay in Lucerne don’t forget to visit Seebrücke Bridge that features a magnificent panorama of the city, the lake and surrounding mountains – Pilatue and Riga.
Each landmark of the city of Lucerne is a reminiscence of significant historical events and epochs. Here’s the famous Lion Monument (Loewendenkmal).
The oldest and most famous bridge of the city is the Chapel Bridge, which was built in 14th century as an urban protective facility. The bridge was damaged by fire in 1993, which also destroyed ancient paintings that had adorned and beautified its wooden roof. After renovation works the bridge is considered the symbol of Lucerne. Happily, the ancient octagonal tower Wasserturm managed to survive in the fire. For centuries the tower was used as an archive, a treasure, and even a prison.
The majority of places of interest in Lucerne can be found near the flow of the Royce River. Among them is a two-tower Jesuit church with large halls and amazingly decorated interior. The church was built in 1669 and so this is one of the oldest buildings featuring the Baroque style in Switzerland.
Tourists usually enjoy attending Knights’ Palace, Zoological Museum, the museum of Zoology which exhibitions are devoted to ecology and zoology, an ancient wooden Rotenburgerhaus building dedicated to living quarters and much more.
The main square of the city is the location of a magnificent panorama featuring the canvas with the drawing of invasion of the French army to Switzerland in 1871. The “Dying Lion” sculpture created by Thorvaldsen is located nearby. The event named Fastnaht take place in Lucerne right before the Lent. This is a large-scale carnival where guests can see various fantastic creatures, ghosts and monsters.
Visitors of the city of Lucerne will discover the numerous attractive shops, entertaining centers and scenic parks, sport grounds, night clubs and bars there.
On the Kornmarkt Square, you can see the beautiful building of the old town hall. Originally, this huge building was used for grain storage. On the square in front of the building, was located the grain market. In the 16th century, it was decided that the majestic building be converted for the city authorities. Today the ancient town hall is the embodiment of the best traditions of the Renaissance style.
An interesting historical museum was opened in the building. Visitors can admire the collections of old furniture, see unique works of art and important historical documents.
In the historical part of the city, the medieval wall of Museggmauer remains. It is a surviving part of large-scale fortification structures. This wall was built in the 13th century and was used to protect the city until the 19th century. The length of the surviving part of the wall is about 900 meters. Several watchtowers also survived on this segment. Today they are accessible for tourists to visit.
Interurban train is the optimum way for tourists to get from Lucerne to any neighboring town and city.
Fans of painting would be interested to visit the Rosengart Gallery, in which collections of works by famous European masters are displayed. Only the paintings of the famous painter Paul Klee here are more than 120. In the gallery there are also paintings by Henri-Emile-Benoit Matisse, Paul Cezanne and other famous artists of the 19th – 20th centuries. A separate room in the museum is dedicated to the storage of paintings by Pablo Picasso.
A great place for a family visit is the Nature Museum of Lucerne. It is housed in a beautiful historic building, which was built in 1811 and used to be used as an orphanage. Now, within its walls are kept the most interesting collections devoted to the animal and plant world of the region. In this museum, you can see rare geological exhibits, and also a very interesting exposition dedicated to modern environmental problems. The museum often conducts interesting cognitive activities.
The unique attraction of Lucerne is the Glacier Garden. It is a geological park-museum, which was founded in the 19th century. Its founder is the most ordinary citizen of the city Josef Wilhelm Amrein-Troller, who discovered unique fossils while working in his garden. Now the open-air museum occupies a vast territory, which is divided into several thematic zones. The museum was equipped with a special indoor pavilion for the most valuable exhibits.