Coordinates:

Lucerne
Canton	Lucerne
District	Lucerne
Coordinates
Population	57,890   (December 31, 2006)
Area	km ( sq mi)
Elevation	m ( ft)
Postal code	6000
Mayor (list)	Urs W. Studer
Surrounded by (view map)	Adligenswil, Ebikon, Emmen, Horw, Kriens, Littau, Meggen
Twin towns	Bournemouth (United Kingdom), Chicago (United States), Cieszyn (Poland), Guebwiller/Murbach (France), Olomouc (Czech Republic), Potsdam (Germany)
Website	www.luzern.ch
Lucerne [zoom (Switzerland)]] ] Lucerne [zoom]]

Lucerne (German: (helpinfo)) is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and seat of the district with the same name. With a population of 57,890^[1], Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland and focal point of the region. The city's agglomeration consists of 17 municipalities in three cantons with an overall population of nearly 200,000^[2].

Due to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi, Lucerne is traditionally considered first and foremost as a tourist destination. One of the city's famous landmarks is Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge first built in the 14th Century.

History

Early History and Founding (750-1386)

After the fall of the Roman Empire beginning in the 6th century, Germanic Alemannic peoples increased their influence on this area of present day Switzerland.

In about 750 the Benedictine Monestary of St. Leodegar was founded, which was acquired by Murbach Abbey in Alsace in the middle of the 9th century, and by this time the area had become known as Luceria. In 1178 Luzern acquired its independence from the jurisdiction of Murbach Abbey, and the founding of the city proper probably occurred this same year. The city gained importance as a strategically located gateway city for growing commerce from Gotthard.

By 1290 Luzern became a good sized, self sufficient city with about 3000 inhabitants. About this time King Rudolph I von Hapsburg gained authority over the Monestary of St. Leodegar and its lands, including Luzern. The populace did not appreciate the increasing Hapsburg influence, and Luzern allied with neighboring towns to seek independence from Habsburg rule. Along with Luzern, the three other forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden formed the "eternal" Swiss Confedaracy, known as the Eidgenossenschaft, on November 7, 1332. Later Zürich, Zug and Bern joined the group. With the help of these additions to the group, the rule of Austria over the area was ended. The issue was settled with Luzern’s victory over the Hapsburgs in the Battle of Sempach in 1386. For Luzern this victory ignited an era of expansion. The city shortly granted many rights to itself, rights which had been withheld from them by the Hapsburgs. By this time the borders of Luzern approximately match those today.

From City to City-State (1386-1520)

In 1415 Luzern became immediately suzerain to Emperor Sigismund and became part of a strong member of the Swiss confederacy. The city developed its infrastructure, raised taxes, and appointed its own local officials. The city’s population dropped about 40% from around 30,000 due to the Black Plague around 1350 and several wars.

In 1419 town records show the first witch trial against a man in Swiss Luzern.

Swiss-Catholic Town (1520-1798)

Among the growing towns of the confederacy, Luzern was especially popular in attracting new residents. As the confederacy broke up during the Swiss Reformation in Switzerland after 1520, most cities became protestant, but Luzern remained Catholic. After the victory of the Catholics over the protestants in the Battle at Kappel in 1531, the Catholic towns dominated the confederacy. The future, however, belonged to the protestant cities like Zurich, Bern and Basel, who defeated the catholics in the second Villmerg War in 1712. The earlier prominent position of Luzern in the confederacy was lost forever. In the 16th and 17th centuries wars and epidemics became more and more seldom, and so the population in the country increased strongly.

Luzern was also involved in the Swiss peasant war of 1653.

Century of Revolutions (1798-1914)

In 1798, nine years after the beginning of the French Revolution, the French army marched into Switzerland. The old confederacy having collapsed, government became democratic. The industrial revolution came somewhat late to Luzern, and in 1860 only 1.7% of the population worked in industry, which is about a quarter of the rate of the rest of Switzerland at the time. Agriculture, which employed about 40% of the workers, was the main form of economic output in the Canton. Nevertheless, industry was attracted to the city from areas around Luzern. From 1850 to 1913 the population quadrupled and the flow of settlers increased. In 1856 trains first linked the city to Olten and Basel, then Zug and Zurich in 1864 and finally in 1897 to the south.

Lucerne today

On June 17, 2007 voters of Lucerne and the adjacent municipality of Littau agreed on a merger in a simultaneously held referendum, becoming effective on January 1, 2010. The combined municipality will have a population of around 75,000, making it the seventh largest city in Switzerland, and keep the name and coat of arms of the city of Lucerne. The successful referendum is expected to pave the way for negotiations with other neighbouring municipalities in an effort to create a unified city-region, based on the results of a study^[3].

Sights

Since the city straddles the Reuss River where it drains the lake, it has a number of bridges. The most famous is the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a 204 m (670 ft) long wooden bridge originally built in 1333, although much of it had to be replaced after a 1993 fire, allegedly caused by a group of smokers. Partway across, the bridge runs by the octagonal Water Tower (Wasserturm), a fortification from the 13th century. Inside the bridge are a series of paintings from the 17th century depicting events from Luzern's history. The Bridge with its Tower is the city's most famous landmark.

Downriver, between the Kasernenplatz and the Mühlenplatz, the Spreuerbrücke or Mill Bridge zigzags across the Reuss. Constructed in 1408, it is the oldest covered bridge in Europe and features a series of medieval-style 17th Century plague paintings by Kaspar Meglinger titled Dance of Death. Meglinger's paintings portray various conditions of men and women, priests and warriors, princes and men of learning, the young bride, the devout nun, the lawmaker, the hunter, the miller, even the artist himself, are all depicted at the mercy of Death, with his mocking smile and his ever-changing garb. These paintings, suitable for a Benedictine abbey, are seen by every inhabitant of beautiful Lucerne who crosses the river via the Spreuerbrücke. It has a small chapel in the middle that was added in 1568.

Old Town Lucerne is located just north of the Reuss River, and still has several fine half-timber structures with painted fronts. Remnants of the old town walls exist on the hill above Lucerne, complete with eight tall watch towers. An additional gated tower sits at the base of the hill on the banks of the Reuss River.

The twin needle towers of the cathedral of St. Leodegar sit on a small hill just above the lakefront. Originally built in 735, the present structure was erected in 1633 in the late Renaissance style. However, the towers are surviving remnants of an earlier structure. The interior is richly decorated. The cathedral is popularly called the Hofkirche (German) and is known locally as the Hofchile (Swiss-German).

Bertel Thorvaldsen's famous carving of a dying lion (the Lion Monument, or Löwendenkmal) is found in a small park just off Lowenplatz. The carving commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when the mob stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris.

The Swiss Transport Museum is a large and comprehensive museum exhibiting all forms of transport, including locomotives, automobiles, ships, and aircraft.

The Culture and Convention Center Lucerne beside the lake in the center of the city was designed by Jean Nouvel. The center has one of the world's leading concert halls, with acoustics by Russell Johnson.

Culture & Entertainment

Events

The city hosts the Lucerne Festival for classical music each year in late summer. Its orchestra, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is hand-picked from some of the finest instrumentalists in the world. Lucerne has also hosted the Festival Rose d'Or in the spring since 2004. Each July Lucerne hosts the Blue Balls Festival, consisting of jazz, blues and funk music.

Sports

There are several football (soccer) clubs throughout the city. The most successful one is FC Luzern of the Swiss Super League. The club plays its home matches at Allmend stadium, an outdated 13.000-capacity field in the south of the city. There are plans for a modern football arena combined with an indoor swimming pool and public sports facilities. The complex is not expected to be ready before 2009.

In the past, Lucerne also produced national successes in men's handball and women's volleyball.

Having a long tradition of equestrian sports, Lucerne has co-hosted CSIO Switzerland, an international equestrian show jumping event, until it left entirely for St. Gallen in 2006. Since then, the Lucerne Equestrian Masters took its place. There is also an annual horse racing event, usually taking place in August.

Lucerne annually hosts the final leg of the Rowing World Cup on Rotsee Lake, and has hosted numerous World Rowing Championships, among others the first ever in 1962. Lucerne is also bidding for the 2011 issue.

The city also provides facilities for ice-hockey, figure-skating and swimming.

Transport

Luzern boasts a developed and well-run transport network, with the main operator being VBL which runs both buses and trolleybuses in the city. Other operators, such as Auto AG Rothenberg provide bus services to the neighbouring towns and villages. The city enjoys excellent links to the rest of Switzerland, with rail services operated by SBB and Zentralbahn.

Sister cities

Lucerne is twinned with the following towns:

• Bournemouth, United Kingdom (1981)
• Chicago, United States (1999)
• Cieszyn, Poland (1994)
• Guebwiller / Murbach, France (1978)
• Olomouc, Czech Republic (1994)
• Potsdam, Germany (2002)

See also

• List of mayors of Lucerne

References

External links

• City of Lucerne official website
• Luzern Tourismus AG - tourist office
• website of the neighbourhood Basel-/Bernstrasse Luzern
• Media
• Radio Pilatus (German)
• Radio 3fach (German)
• Neue Luzerner Zeitung: www.zisch.ch (German) (local newspaper)
• Anzeiger Luzern (German)
• Lucerne (municipality) in German, French or Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.

•  • [ e] Municipalities in the district of Lucerne, Switzerland
Adligenswil | Buchrain | Dierikon | Ebikon | Gisikon | Greppen | Honau | Horw | Kriens | Littau | Lucerne | Malters | Meggen | Meierskappel | Root | Schwarzenberg | Udligenswil | Vitznau | Weggis Canton of Lucerne | Districts of Canton Lucerne | Municipalities of the canton of Lucerne

Capitals of Swiss cantons

Aarau (Aargau) - Altdorf (Uri) - Appenzell (Appenzell Innerrhoden) - Basel (Basel-City) - Bellinzona (Ticino) - Berne (Berne) - Chur (Grisons) - Delmont (Jura) - Frauenfeld (Thurgau) - Fribourg (Fribourg) - Geneva (Geneva) - Glarus (Glarus) - Herisau/Trogen (Appenzell Ausserrhoden) - Lausanne (Vaud) - Liestal (Basel-Land) - Lucerne (Lucerne) - Neuchtel (Neuchtel) - St. Gallen (St. Gallen) - Sarnen (Obwalden) - Schaffhausen (Schaffhausen) - Schwyz (Schwyz) - Sion (Valais) - Solothurn (Solothurn) - Stans (Nidwalden) - Zug (Zug) - Zurich (Zurich)

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