Lucerne is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and the seat of the county of the same name. The city has about 60,000 residents. Lucerne is the largest and most important city in central Switzerland. The city's metropolitan area includes 17 municipalities in three states. It has a total population of nearly 200,000 people.
Christmas Market in Lucerne
During Advent, Franziskanerplatz square turns into a miniature town filled with stalls that are cheerfully decorated to resemble small wooden houses. Located in the heart of the old town of Lucerne, the Christmas market creates a very evocative seasonal atmosphere.
Attracting domestic and foreign visitors, more than 70 ornate stalls offer a variety of special goods and gifts. While adults enjoy an abundance of food and drink, children flock to the Christmas Ferris wheel to seasonally appropriate music from brass bands and choirs. The air was filled with the spicy smell of brandy and pickled wine. The festive atmosphere invites visitors to stroll, stroll and linger.
Lion Monument – a memorial exuding the portent of loss
Carved in stone yet so lifelike - Lucerne's world-famous lion monument has captivated visitors from near and far for many years. But the impressive stone lion is not "just" a monument. Depending on how you look at it, it can be a memory, a work of art, or a memorial. And as a proud symbol of the city of Lucerne.
The 'Lion of Lucerne' is embedded in a rock cave in Lucerne's charming park landscape. Ten new interpretation boards outline the monument's history and complex meaning. The information is displayed in German and English, and scanning the QR code reveals French and Italian versions. The same link provides detailed information on the eight thematic areas outlined by the interpretation panel.
About 1.4 million people visit the Lion Monument each year, but few know the tragic story behind this impressive piece of work. This can be solved with time travel.
Paris in turmoil
It measures 10 x 6 meters and was created in honor of the Swiss Guard who died in the 1792 storming of the Tuileries Palace in Paris. But how did this happen?
August 10, 1792.
About 1,000 Swiss Guards defended the life of Louis XVI with unconditional loyalty and courage that day. From France. The revolutionaries stormed the king's mansion, which was guarded by the Swiss, effectively wiping out the Swiss Guard. A powerful monument, the Lion Monument pays tribute to these male selfless heroes.
The man behind the vision
One of his guards who happened to be on holiday at his home in Lucerne that fateful day was Officer Karl Pfeiffer von Artischofen. For many years he pondered the tragic loss of his comrades, and then began the construction of a suitable memorial for the fallen, suggesting the cliffs below Wesemlin as a suitable site, and this major We collected donations for the project.
The larger-than-life lion sculpture designed by the famous Danish artist Bertertl Balsen was completed in 1821, after he turned it into reality in just over a year. Or as American writer Mark Twain said:
"The Lion of Lucerne is the saddest and most moving piece of stone in the world."
Lucerne’s landmarks – the Chapel Bridge and its Water Tower
It is not without reason that Lucerne's famous wooden bridge is the most photographed destination in Lucerne by tourists and locals alike. Together with the water tower, the bridge forms a landmark in the cityscape that no other attraction has.
The Chapel Bridge today connects the Lucerne Theater on the south bank of the River Reuss with the Chapel of Saint Peter on Rathausquai, passing through the water tower. The devastation that captured the world's attention was something no one wanted to see happen.
Disaster happened
A large part of Chapel Bridge caught fire on the night of August 18, 1993. Only two bridgeheads and water tower can be saved. The rest of the bridge was rebuilt in a record eight months, allowing the "new" Chapel Bridge to reopen on April 14, 1994. Never before has central Switzerland experienced such a thing. incidents like the one happened with the symbol of an entire country and moved to this point many people around the world. Finally, the Chapel Bridge - a staggering 650 years old - served not only in its early days as a means of walking across the river, but also as part of the city's fortifications. The bridgeheads form the chapel on the right bank and the (now defunct) Freienhof on the left. Instantly recognizable from the sky, the Chapel Bridge and the Spreuer Bridge seem to connect the city.
No request, no photo, no photo, no bridge
Just as important as the bridge itself is the fascinating cycle of paintings that adorn it and give it the necessary depth of character. The chronicler of the city of Lucerne, Renward Cysat (1545-1614), spent many years studying the history of ancient Switzerland and Christianity and forming a concept of pictorial decoration. The bridge is to describe how luck guided many of the Old Confederacy's achievements. Since it is not possible to finance businesses with public funds, wealthy citizens are called upon to fund one or more councils. Cysat perfected his idea in 1611, after which work could begin. The paintings were first restored in 1646. In 1726, the town had to send a guard to watch over the bridge and prevent young men from repeatedly vandalizing the paintings. Before the 1993 fire, 147 of the original 158 panels survived; 110 of them were directly affected by the fire that destroyed the bridge, of which about two-thirds smoked or suffered serious damage.
