Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, founded on the Reuss River and surrounded by Lake Lucerne and tall peaks of the Swiss Alps.
It is located just across the lake from Altdorf, where, according to legend, Switzerland’s hero – William Tell opposed the Austrian oppressors.
Being the first to join the Swiss Confederation, Lucerne today is a charming, small city with prosperous tourism industry.
The favorable location of Lucerne in the Swiss Alps, considering its relative closeness to Zurich Airport (40 min. away), makes it a perfect destination for tourists and exploring the rest of the country.
The Culture and Congress Centre in Lucerne is a multipurpose building that houses the Lucerne Hall, the Convention Centre with the auditorium, and the Museum of Art.
The building itself is a masterpiece of modern architecture designed by Jean Nouvel, and it has several concert halls and a museum.
Its major concert hall (“La salle blanche”) is esteemed for its acoustics and it hosts the Music Festival of Lucerne.
Among many monuments in and around the city, the Lion Monument will certainly make an impression on you.
Located in a small park just by Lowenplatz, it was made by Bertel Thorvaldsen and it commemorates Swiss soldiers who were killed in the French Revolution.
Built as a part of ramparts in 1386, the wall is amazingly largely intact till this day.
Four of the fortification towers are open to the public including the clock tower – whose clockwork mechanism can be seen from the inside.
The Zyt tower holds the oldest city clock which has ‘First Strike rights’ and it rings always one minute before any other clock in the city.
As the city lies on the river, it has many bridges among which the most famous is the Chapel Bridge or Kapellbrücke.
This famous wooden bridge from the 13th century is a big tourist attraction. It is the oldest covered bridge in Europe and is painted inside, illustrating the scenes from Swiss history.
The Bridge with its tower is the city’s most famous landmark.
