Switzerland is truly a four-language country, and Lucerne is
in the heart of the predominantly German region. Using the variety of German called “Schweizerdeutsch”
this German is different enough for speakers of the standard “Hochdeutsch” to
almost qualify as a dialect. Short day
trips from Zürich (about 1.5 hours by car) keep us in the German regions,
including our visit to Lucerne last September.
This lovely city is perhaps best recognized from photographs
of the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) a wooden covered bridge spanning the River
Reuss, with the stone octagonal shape Wasserturm (Water Tower) next to it. Dating originally from the mid-14th
century, the bridge was nearly destroyed by fire in the late 20th but was reconstructed
so Lucerne would not lose this iconic structure. Now when crossing the bridge, warnings are
posted “Rauchen verboten” (No Smoking) – cigarettes were said to be the cause
of the fire. This is a very long bridge
to cross, almost 700 feet, and at intervals paintings of medieval scenes of Lucerne
are added to entertain the pedestrian.
But really, the views across the river are all the entertainment I needed.
Lucerne was not one of the original cantons that formed the
Swiss Confederation in 1291, but joined a short time later. In those days, the Habsburg dukes from nearby
Aargau ruled this land, and Rudolf von Habsburg was elected and crowned King of
the Romans in 1273, the first Habsburg in the long ruling dynasty that lasted
until 1918. However, the cantons of Schwyz,
Uri, and Unterwalden formed a confederation to declare independent rule after
King Rudolf’s death in 1291. As one
would expect, medieval kings did not accept loosing revenue producing territory
without a fight, and the deciding battle to defend this new confederation
included Lucerne at Sempach in 1386 which resulted in the death of the Habsburg
Duke Leopold III of Austria, and recognition for what is now called the “Old
Swiss Confederation.”
For this quick visit, we wandered the medieval Old Town,
crossed the Kapellbrücke, and stopped in a restaurant for a lovely dinner and bottle of wine. With the shortened September day, we decided
to head back to Zürich before dark. I
will visit Lucerne again on this trip.
Next: a day in the gorgeous Italian-Swiss city of Lugano
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