A Lucerne Morning II
Early morning in Lucerne, seen from the balcony of our room at the Hotel des Alpes. Mount Pilatus rises high above the Kapellbrucke and the Jesuitenkirche.
The Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) is the image that comes to mind when most people think of Lucerne, especially those who have been to the city in the Swiss Lakes and seen it for themselves.
A covered wooden footbridge over the Reuss River in Lucerne’s Altstadt (Old Town), it was built in the 14th century and named after the nearby St Peter’s Chapel. However, subsequent fire and destruction means not everything you see is original.
The bridge originally served as part of the city’s defences, helping protect it from attacks from the nearby Lake Lucerne.
Just about everyone who comes to the city will walk across its creaky wooden boards at least once during a visit, passing by the octagonal Wasserturm (water tower) that stands in the middle of the river, and taking in the 17th century panels by Heinrich Wägmann depicting events from Swiss history and mythology.
It is the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe, while the Wasserturm is older still, having originally stood alone in the rover and served variously as a prison, treasury and town archive.
The Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church) on the banks of the Reuss River in Lucerne was built in 1666 by Father Christoph Vogler, and was the first religious building in Switzerland constructed in the baroque style.
It was redecorated in the mid-18th century, with ceiling paintings depicting the apotheosis of St Francis Zavier, and onion-domed twin towers were add in the 19th century.
Mount Pilatus rises high over the shores of Lake Lucerne, only a short bus ride away from the centre of Lucerne itself.
The mountain rose to prominence in the 19th century, when Wagner – a famous resident of Lucerne – hailed its vistas and Queen Victoria visited its summit on horseback.
The peak rises 2,132m (7,000ft) high and popular legend has it that it was named after Pontius Pilate, whose corpse was thrown into a lake at its summit and whose ghost haunted the mountain ever since. However, it is more likely named for the Latin word ‘pileatus’, meaning cloud-covered, given the weather conditions which often surround it.
While Queen Victoria rode her horse to the summit, it is now possible to take either a cable car or a funicular train to reach the top – the latter is dependent on the season, as snow covers the tracks during winter.
At the summit, there is a visitor centre, hotels and restaurants, as well as various footpaths which lead you to viewpoints over Lake Lucerne on one side and the Swiss Alps in the distance on the other.
A Lucerne Morning II
Early morning in Lucerne, seen from the balcony of our room at the Hotel des Alpes. Mount Pilatus rises high above the Kapellbrucke and the Jesuitenkirche.
The Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) is the image that comes to mind when most people think of Lucerne, especially those who have been to the city in the Swiss Lakes and seen it for themselves.
A covered wooden footbridge over the Reuss River in Lucerne’s Altstadt (Old Town), it was built in the 14th century and named after the nearby St Peter’s Chapel. However, subsequent fire and destruction means not everything you see is original.
The bridge originally served as part of the city’s defences, helping protect it from attacks from the nearby Lake Lucerne.
Just about everyone who comes to the city will walk across its creaky wooden boards at least once during a visit, passing by the octagonal Wasserturm (water tower) that stands in the middle of the river, and taking in the 17th century panels by Heinrich Wägmann depicting events from Swiss history and mythology.
It is the oldest covered wooden bridge in Europe, while the Wasserturm is older still, having originally stood alone in the rover and served variously as a prison, treasury and town archive.
The Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church) on the banks of the Reuss River in Lucerne was built in 1666 by Father Christoph Vogler, and was the first religious building in Switzerland constructed in the baroque style.
It was redecorated in the mid-18th century, with ceiling paintings depicting the apotheosis of St Francis Zavier, and onion-domed twin towers were add in the 19th century.
Mount Pilatus rises high over the shores of Lake Lucerne, only a short bus ride away from the centre of Lucerne itself.
The mountain rose to prominence in the 19th century, when Wagner – a famous resident of Lucerne – hailed its vistas and Queen Victoria visited its summit on horseback.
The peak rises 2,132m (7,000ft) high and popular legend has it that it was named after Pontius Pilate, whose corpse was thrown into a lake at its summit and whose ghost haunted the mountain ever since. However, it is more likely named for the Latin word ‘pileatus’, meaning cloud-covered, given the weather conditions which often surround it.
While Queen Victoria rode her horse to the summit, it is now possible to take either a cable car or a funicular train to reach the top – the latter is dependent on the season, as snow covers the tracks during winter.
At the summit, there is a visitor centre, hotels and restaurants, as well as various footpaths which lead you to viewpoints over Lake Lucerne on one side and the Swiss Alps in the distance on the other.