Kultur und Kongresszentrum & Kunstmuseum

Lonely Planet review

A striking work of postmodern architecture in an otherwise largely historic city, Parisian architect Jean Nouvel's Kultur und Kongresszentrum & Kunstmuseum really stands out with its prime waterfront location, neighbouring the main train station.

But if you think it looks good, wait until you hear it. The acoustics of the main concert hall are as close to perfect as humankind has ever known - or at least that's the verdict of many musicians and conductors who've performed here. The trick is that the tall, narrow concert hall is partly built below the level of the lake's surface, is entirely surrounded by a reverberation chamber and has an adjustable suspended ceiling, all creating extra sound dampening. In the bubble of silence that has resulted, you can hear everything - to the point where audience members are even quite self-conscious about unwrapping sweets.

All the accolades showered upon the hall - it can be adjusted to any type of music - have raised the profile of the tripartite Lucerne Music Festival. So increasingly it's one of the highlights on the global music calendar.

There are public tours (%041 226 77 77; info@kkl-luzern.ch) of the building most Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 , but they are only in German. Individual tours can, however, be arranged in English for groups.