ARCHITECTURE + AIRBORNE European Travels: LUCERNE [Luzern, Lozärn], SWITZERLAND

Thanksgiving weekend had arrived and my cousin had landed on Thanksgiving day. We were looking for something fun to do within a 5 hour drive from Saturday to Sunday and decided to check out Lucerne, Switzerland. We found a hotel right in Old Town (Hotel Falken) which was close to pretty much everywhere we were exploring. Just a word of advice, food is expensive in Lucerne. Fondue is at least 50-60 EURO [not dollars] a person...aka, not good for a person trying to be economical [or try and research cheaper places before visiting!].

Lucerne is the 8th largest city in Switzerland and is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne, with a population of roughly 90,000. It is located off of Lake Lucerne at the outlet of the river Reuss, which separates the 'old' town and the 'new' town. Lucerne is also surrounded by beautiful mountains on all sides, which leads to a beautiful drive into the city.

Chapel Bridge, the world's oldest covered wooden bridge that dates back to 1332, connects the 'old' and 'new' areas. After a fire in 1993 the bridge was rebuilt 'true to the original' and connects to the historical Water Tower. The bridge and the octagonal Water Tower were part of Lucerne's fortification system. The fortification wall [Musegg Wall] currently runs along the North side of the city, but is only open for visitors during the warmer months.

Chapel Bridge

Chapel Bridge and Water Tower

Chapel Bridge and Water Tower

North fortification wall

Lucerne's Jesuit church [Jesuitenkirche] is found along the river Reuss, which is the oldest Baroque church in Switzerland north of the alps. This church, dedicated to Francis Xavier, was built between 1666 and 1677. [Below]

There is only 1 tower left at Scheanenplatz from the original fortification [connected 2 bridges at one time] Below

Kornmarkt was the grain marketplace from roughly 1356 to the 19th century. The ground floor was for grain storage from 1438 on and the upper floors were for the town hall from 1447 on.

Kornmarkt

In front of Kornmarkt

River Reuss

Dornach house (1900) neo-gothic.
Mannerist frescos by Seraphin Weingartner.

The Church of St. Leodegar is a major landmark in the city. It was built in phases from 1633 to 1639. It was built on the foundation of the Roman Basilica which had burnt down in 1633. [Below]