Bridge sights in Lucerne

1. A Map

   Kapellbrücke

   • Lucerne, Switzerland
   • Sights › Bridge

   You haven’t really been to Lucerne until you have strolled the creaky 14th-century Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), spanning the Reuss river in the Old Town. The octagonal water tower is original, but its gabled roof is a modern reconstruction, rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1993. As you cross the bridge, note Heinrich Wägmann’s 17th- century triangular roof panels, showing important events from Swiss history and mythology. The icon is at its most photogenic when bathed in soft golden light at dusk.

   reviewed

   • 0
   • 0
2. B Map

   Spreuer Bridge

   • Lucerne, Switzerland
   • Sights › Bridge

   Further down the river, the Spreuerbrücke is darker and smaller than the Chapel Bridge, but its 1408 structure is entirely original. Lore has it that this was the only bridge where locals were allowed to throw Spreu (chaff) into the river in medi-eval times. Here, the roof panels consist of artist Caspar Meglinger’s movie-storyboard-style sequence of paintings, The Dance of Death, showing how the plague affected all levels of society.

   reviewed

   • 0
   • 0