Landmarks of the city of Lucerne

Chapel Bridge, Chaff Bridge and Court Bridge

Stories, pictures and background information on Lucerne’s unique cultural monuments

News

New lights on the edges of the roof set the Chapel Bridge in a better light. The balustrades of the cultural monument are bathed in soft light at night.

Read more: Press release City of Lucerne (german)

In the early hours of a May morning, employees of «Stadtgrün» once again hung the flower boxes on the balustrades of the Chapel Bridge. The plants were grown in the city’s own nursery. They reach their full bloom around July.

Twice a year, restorer Marco Rebel usually inspects the gable paintings on the wooden bridges on behalf of the City of Lucerne’s monument preservation authorities. Here he is at work on the Chapel Bridge, where he can repair minor damage on the spot.

This website about the three Lucerne wooden bridges has been revised: better clarity, adapted content, refreshed design. For example, you can discover here what the city of Lucerne looks like with (see picture left) and without «Hofbrücke» and learn more about the «disappeared bridge».

Image (detail): Special collection ZHB Lucerne, zentralgut.ch

The water tower is in many ways an extraordinary monument. What is hidden inside him? What was the water tower for? A guided tour is worthwhile and is even possible from the comfort of the sofa.

Click here for the 360-degree panorama and more stories about this monument.

All about the Lucerne wooden bridges

The Chapel Bridge and the Water Tower are world-famous. Without them, Lucerne would be without its landmarks. But the Chaff Bridge further downstream is also a jewel. And then there is the third in the group: the Court Bridge. It no longer exists –except on this website, where you can find out all about Lucerne’s wooden bridges and their valuable picture cycles.

Hotspots

Chapel Bridge

Chaff Bridge

Former Court Bridge

The lost, the glamorous and the one with two parts

Covered wooden bridges have shaped the cityscape of Lucerne for centuries. Built as footbridges and part of the city’s fortifications, they have continued to change with the passage of time – some of these changes have been deliberate; some have been brought about through catastrophe.

Lucerne in the 12th and 13th centuries: The region was under the control of the monasteries of Murbach and Lucerne as well as the lords of Rothenburg. Lucerne increasingly took on the character of an urban settlement. Following the construction of a stone bridge over the Reuss, which was first mentioned in 1168, the city expanded along the left bank of the Reuss. Its growth was helped by the increase in traffic over the Gotthard Pass around 1200. It was the heyday of urban, bridge and road construction.

Chapel Bridge