Luzern’s main
sights
Tourist Information 041 227 17 17 www.luzern.org http://www.luzern.ch/en
http://kulturluzern.ch/news/ : office situated at side of station - bike hire available - lakeside route towards Horw and Winkel recommended - fan shaped apartment block at Schoenbuehl won international plaudits for Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
http://kulturluzern.ch/news/ : office situated at side of station - bike hire available - lakeside route towards Horw and Winkel recommended - fan shaped apartment block at Schoenbuehl won international plaudits for Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
Stroll around Town: 2 hours - English/German - daily except Sunday in
season - Wednesdays and Saturdays otherwise - from Tourist Office - somewhat
disconcertingly starts with a short coach ride - invaluable preparation for
arrival of visitors.
City Train 041 220 11 00 http://www.citytrain.ch/ - slightly
Disneyesque 40 minute tour of town in string of carriages - board at the Hotel
Schweizerhof.
Boat trips on Lake Lucerne/Vierwaldstattersee
(lake of the 4 wooded cantons) 041 367 67 67 http://www.luzern.com/en/index.cfm :
20 boats - 5 steamers - can be pricey - check for special offers - fondue
chinoise/sushi ships - Sunday Breakfast boat - folklore - conducted walks -
excursions with children - unforgettable way to visit Pilatus, Burgenstock,
Weggis and Rigi - moonlight playing on water here gave Beethoven’s piano sonata
its name.
Old Town (Altstadt): cobbled
fountained squares with colourful facades on right bank of River Reuss.
Picasso Museum 041 410 17 73: gift to city on its 800th
anniversary from Siegfried and Angela Rosengart (whom Picasso painted 5 times)-
collection of late works and 200 photographs by David Douglas Duncan - worth
visiting for building alone - Am-Rhyn House - built in 1618 in Renaissance
style. Many of Picasso’s works have now been incorporated in the Rosengart
Collection (see below).
Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrucke) Luzern’s
defining landmark - originally constructed in 1333 - 560 feet long - water
tower was originally a prison and torture chamber - beautifully restored after
devastating fire in 1993 - 112 painted panels by Heinrich Wagmann show scenes
from city and Swiss history with donors’ coats of arms.
Rathaus (Town Hall): 1602-1606 -
above the riverside arcades of Unter der Egg - on Kornmarkt - unique mix of
architectural styles from Anton Isenmann - classic Renaissance style building
topped with roof of an Entlebuch farmhouse.
Zunfthaus zu Pfistern: former
Guildhall now a restaurant with Swiss specialities - exterior has mural of tree
decorated with local coats of arms - interior is equally atmospheric.
Zentralgefangnis (Central
Prison): 1860-1862 - curious because it now houses Hotel Lowengraben
(041 417 12 12 http://www.loewengraben.ch/jail-hotel.php )
where you can stay in a converted cell - used for prisoners as recently as
1998.
Musegg battlements: 1350-1408 - walk along 870m of the City Wall from
Spreuer Bridge - three of the nine towers open to public - vertiginous climbs -
Mannli Tower has 125 steps -oldest city clock on Zyt Tower chimes 1 minute
before others in town.
Nadelwehr (Water Spike): dating from
1859 - 175 pinewood ‘needles’ strung across river- each 3.5m long - used to
regulate level of lake - modern power plant nearby produces hydro-electricity
for 1500 households when it is not silted up.
Spreuer Bridge: 1408 - further down the Reuss - less well known but
equally interesting with 67 macabre paintings by Kaspar Meglinger illustrating
the ‘Dance of Death’ - heavy on skeletons - commemorating city plague - named
after wheatchaff thrown into river nearby.
Historical Museum 041 228 5424 https://historischesmuseum.lu.ch/ :
cantonal museum for cultural history and folklore - housed in former city
arsenal - emphasis on weaponry including Zwingli’s helmet and sword - guided
tours with actors.
Natural History Museum 041 228 54 11 www.naturmuseum.ch :
1987 European Museum of the Year - live animals - regular exhibitions - look
for procession of giant ants on exterior.
Kleinstadt: on left bank -
much quieter area with many historical buildings - find the Apothecary’s shop
straight out of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley in Bahnhofstrasse.
Franciscan Church: 13th Century - oldest building in Luzern -
Gothic/Medieval style - ornate Baroque pulpit - flag frescoes.
Ritter Palace: 1557 - former Jesuit College - now seat of Cantonal
government - built in Florentine style - intriguing internal columned courtyard
reminiscent of an Escher drawing.
Jesuit Church: 1666-1677 - first large baroque church in Switzerland
- ‘ Rococo explosion of gilt, marble and epic frescoes ‘ (Fodor) -
distinctive onion domes added in 1893 - always open - frequent concerts.
Theatre 041 210 6618 www.luzerner-theater.ch: varied and sometimes avant garde
productions - plays, operas, musicals and dance.
Rosengart-Sammlung 041 220 1660 www.rosengart.ch: fine art collection in
Pilatusstrasse - housed in 1924 neoclassical bank building - 200 works
including 50 paintings by Picasso - outstanding exhibition of more than 100
works by Paul Klee.
Bahnhofplatz: dominated by
original archway entrance to station building which burned down in 1971 - huge
1928 Barraud fresco entitled ‘North and South’ was also expensively reinstalled
opposite Monopol Hotel .
Kultur- und Kongress-zentrum (KKL) 041 226 70 70 www.kkl-luzern.ch : 1998 concert hall -
spectacular architecture by Jean Nouvel - red blue and green exterior with
12000 sqm cantilevered roof - interior features include moats, bridges and use
of a ‘symphony’ of five different woods - exceptional acoustics achieved
through fifty two echo chambers and sheets of red velvet draped over ladders
(really!) - guided tours available - Renate Meier 041 226 74 33.
Kunstmuseum 041 226 78 00 www.kunstmuseumluzern.ch: predominantly modern
artworks - emphasis on Swiss works from 19th and 20th
centuries including many by Swiss artist Ferdinand Hodler - regular exhibitions
- good café .
Hofkirche: twin spired
landmark of Luzern built during 30 Years War - architecture reflects transition
from Gothic to Baroque with Romanesque towers and renaissance style roof - main
doors flanked by patron saints of Luzern - St. Leodegar and St. Maurice - huge
organ with 4950 pipes and facility to mimic rain thunder and hail - interesting
Florentine style Cloister - Rothenburgerhaus
nearby is oldest wooden building in Switzerland dating from 1500.
Bourbaki-Panorama 041 410 9942 www.panorama-luzern.ch
: recently renovated 16 sided cylindrical building - houses largest (110m)
round panoramic mural in the world by Edouard Castres - completed in 1889 -
precursor to cinema - depicts retreat of French army into Switzerland in 1870 -
moving atmosphere - infinitely better than it sounds.
Alpineum 041 410 4064:
antique (1900) 3 dimensional depiction of the Alps - visit only if desperate or
very wet.
Glacier Garden 041 410 43 40: dating (and dated) from 1872 -
enjoyable if glacial potholes are your thing - national monument - slightly
worthy museum in interesting old house - look out for the oldest large scale
relief map of Switzerland (1762) - created without any artificial aids - Goethe
visited Luzern especially to see it - ‘Alhambra style’ labyrinth of mirrors
(1896) offers fun for all - garden - café.
Lion Monument: hewn out of natural sandstone in 1821 by Danish
sculptor Thorwaldsen - one of Luzern’s first tourist attractions - commemorates
death of Swiss mercenaries in 1792 - very stirring and tranquil when (rarely)
no one else is around - Mark Twain described it as ‘the saddest and most
poignant piece of rock in the world’.
Pastello 041 410 0304: in
Alpenstrasse - paint your own ceramic pieces - no reservation necessary - great
for birthday parties and presents.
Fruit and Vegetable Market: Tuesdays and Saturdays along the Reuss - dates back
750 years.
Craft Market: 1st Saturday in month in Weinmarkt.
Fleamarket: Saturdays in season along the Reuss.
Lakeside walks: 45 minutes in either direction from station is worth
the (minimal) effort.
Verkehrshaus (Transport
Museum) 0848 85 20 20 www.verkehrshaus.org:
most comprehensive collection in Europe and most popular Swiss museum -
locomotives - Gotthard Tunnel presentation - simulators - 140m high excursions
in Hiflyer - (tethered) hot air balloon .
IMAX 0848 85 2020/ 041 375 7575 www.imax.ch: 3D cinema -
only one in Switzerland -19x25m screen - regular performances in English.
Planetarium: next to IMAX -
unique in Switzerland.
Hans Erni Museum: over 300 works
by Swiss artist in various media.
Lido Strandbad 041 370 38 06: beach - playground - swimming pool - restaurant -
minigolf - great position - very lively.
Chateau Gutsch 041 249 41 00 - Gothic style edifice (only built in 1888) with commanding views of town. Queen Victoria stayed nearby at the Wallis Boarding house in 1868 giving Luzern
prominence as a fashionable holiday destination. Has now reopened after refurbishment. Accessible by bus and funicular from Luzern Bahnhof. http://www.chateau-guetsch.ch/
Richard Wagner Museum 041 360 23 70: magnificent house on lake at Tribschen
overlooking town - exhibition of musical
instruments - composer lived here from 1866 to 1872 and worked on Die
Meistersinger, Der Ring and Gotterdammerung - ‘I do not know of a
more beautiful spot in this world’. http://www.richard-wagner-museum.ch/en/wagner/index.htm
Sue Poolman, May 2007. Updated by Julia Newton August 2011 and April 2016.
