Owing to its location on the shores ofLake Lucerne (German:Vierwaldstättersee) and its outflow, the riverReuss, within sight of the mountsPilatus andRigi in theSwiss Alps, Lucerne has long been a destination fortourists. One of the city's landmarks is theChapel Bridge (German:Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century.
The official language of Lucerne isGerman,[note 2] but the main spoken language is the local variant of theAlemannicSwiss German dialect, Lucerne German.
After thefall of the Roman Empire beginning in the 6th century, GermanicAlemannic peoples increased their influence on this area of present-day Switzerland.
The origin of the name is uncertain, it is possibly derived from the Latin name of thepike,lucius, thus designating a pike fishing spot in the river Reuss. Derivation from the theonymLugus has been suggested but is phonetically implausible. In any case, the name was associated by popular etymology with Latinlucerna 'lantern' from an early time.[5]
In 1178 Lucerne acquired its independence from the jurisdiction of Murbach Abbey, and the founding of the city proper probably occurred that same year. The city gained importance as a strategically located gateway for the growing commerce from theGotthard trade route.
By 1290, Lucerne had become a self-sufficient city of reasonable size with about 3000 inhabitants. About this timeKing Rudolph I von Habsburg gained authority over the Monastery of St. Leodegar and its lands, including Lucerne. The populace was not content with the increasingHabsburg influence, and Lucerne allied with neighboring towns to seek independence from their rule. Along with Lucerne, the three other forest cantons ofUri,Schwyz andUnterwalden formed the "eternal"Swiss Confederacy, known as theEidgenossenschaft, on November 7, 1332.
Later the cities ofZurich,Zug andBern joined the alliance. With the help of these additions, the rule ofAustria over the area came to an end. The issue was settled by Lucerne's victory over the Habsburgs in theBattle of Sempach in 1386. For Lucerne this victory ignited an era of expansion. The city shortly granted many rights to itself, rights which had been withheld by the Habsburgs until then. By this time the borders of Lucerne were approximately those of today (excluding Littau).
In 1415 Lucerne gainedReichsfreiheit fromEmperor Sigismund and became a strong member of the Swiss confederacy. The city developed its infrastructure, raised taxes, and appointed its own local officials. The city's population of 3000 dropped about 40% due to theBlack Plague and several wars around 1350.
In 1419 town records show the first witch trial against a male person.
In 1471, the law was passed to persecute theRomani people of Indian origin.[6]
Among the growing towns of the confederacy, Lucerne was especially popular in attracting new residents. Remaining predominantly Catholic, Lucerne hosted its own annualpassion play from 1453 to 1616, a two-day-long play of 12 hours performance per day.[7] As the confederacy broke up during theReformation, after 1520, most nearby cities became Protestant, but Lucerne remained Catholic. After the victory of the Catholics over the Protestants in theBattle at Kappel in 1531, the Catholic towns dominated the confederacy. It was during this period thatJesuits first came to Lucerne in 1567, with their arrival given considerable backing by CardinalCarlo Borromeo,Archbishop of Milan.[8] The region, though, was destined to be dominated by Protestant cities such as Zurich, Bern andBasel, which defeated the Catholic forces in the 1712Toggenburg War. The former prominent position of Lucerne in the confederacy was lost forever. In the 16th and 17th centuries, wars and epidemics became steadily less frequent and as a result the population of the country increased strongly.
Lucerne was besieged by a peasant army and quickly signed a peace treaty with the rebels in theSwiss peasant war of 1653.
In 1798, nine years after the beginning of theFrench Revolution, the French army marched into Switzerland. TheOld Swiss Confederacy collapsed and the government became democratic. TheIndustrial Revolution hit Lucerne rather late, and by 1860 only 1.7% of the population worked in industry, which was about a quarter of the national average at that time.[citation needed]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 Lucerne. From 1850 to 1913, the population quadrupled and the flow of settlers increased. In 1856 trains first linked the city toOlten and Basel, then Zug and Zurich in 1864 and finally to the south in 1897.[citation needed]
The 1804 playWilliam Tell byFriedrich Schiller did much to establish the reputation of Lucerne and its environs.[9] Schiller himself had not been to Lucerne, but was inspired to write the play by his wife Lotte and his friendJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, who had both personally visited the city and its surrounding canton. Goethe had lodged in the Hirschenplatz on his route to Italy in 1779.[10]
It was during the latter part of the 19th century that Lucerne became a popular destination for artists, royalty and others to escape to. The German composerRichard Wagner established a residence atTribschen in 1866, where he lived and worked.[11] The city was then boosted by a visit byQueen Victoria to the city in 1868, during which she went sightseeing at theKapellbrücke and theLion Monument and relished speaking with local people in her native German.[12]
Pension Wallis (close toChâteau Gütsch), where Queen Victoria stayed in 1868
The American writerMark Twain further popularised the city and its environs in his travel writings after visiting twice, in 1878 and 1897.[13] In 1892 Swiss poet and futureNobel laureateCarl Spitteler also established himself in Lucerne, living there until his death in 1924.[14]
Lucerne's status as a fashionable destination led to it becoming one of the first centres of modern-style tourism.[15] Some of the city's most recognisable buildings are hotels from this period, such as the Schweizerhof Hotel (1845),Grand Hotel National (1870), andChâteau Gütsch (1879).[16][17] It was at theNational that Swiss hotelierCésar Ritz would establish himself as manager between 1878 and 1888.
In August 1993, theKapellbrücke, in the centre of the city, suffered from a great fire which destroyed two thirds of its interior paintings.[18] The bridge was subsequently reconstructed and reopened to the public in April 1994, after a total of CHF 3.4 million was spent on its repair.[19]
On June 17, 2007, voters of the city of Lucerne and the adjacent town ofLittau agreed to a merger in a simultaneousreferendum. This took effect on January 1, 2010.[20] The new city, still called Lucerne, has a population of around 80,000 people, making it the seventh-largest city in Switzerland. The results of this referendum are expected to pave the way for negotiations with other nearby cities and towns in an effort to create a unified city-region, based on the results of a study.[21]
Lucerne is located at the outfall ofLake Lucerne into the riverReuss, which flows from south-east to north-west. The city occupies both banks of the river and the lowest reach of the lake, with the city centre straddling the river immediately downstream of the outfall. The city's suburbs climb the hills to the north-east and south-west, and stretch out along the river and lake banks, whilst the recently added area ofLittau is to the north-west.[22]
Besides this contiguous city area, the municipality also includes anexclave on the south shore of Lake Lucerne some 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) away, comprising the northern slopes of theBürgenstock. This section of the municipality is entirely surrounded by the lake and by land of thecanton of Nidwalden. It does not contain any significant settlements, but the summit of the Bürgenstock is the highest point of the municipality.[22]
The municipality has an area of 29.1 square kilometers (11.2 sq mi). Of this area and as of 2009[update], 28.0% is used for agricultural purposes, while 22.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 47.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (2.1%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).[23]
Between 1961 and 1990 Lucerne had an average of 138.1 days of rain per year and on average received 1,171 mm (46.1 in) ofprecipitation. The wettest month was June during which time Lucerne received an average of 153 mm (6.0 in) of rainfall. During this month there was rainfall for an average of 14.2 days. The driest month of the year was February with an average of 61 mm (2.4 in) of precipitation over 10.2 days.[24] Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. TheKöppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).[25]
Climate data for Lucerne, elevation 454 m (1,490 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1927–present)
The City Council (Stadtrat) constitutes theexecutive government of the city of Lucerne and operates as acollegiate authority. It is composed of five councilors (German:Stadtrat/-rätin), each presiding over a directorate (Direktion) comprising several departments and bureaus. The president of the executive department acts asmayor (Stadtpräsident). In the mandate period (Legislatur) September 2024 – August 2028 the City Council is presided byStadtpräsidentBeat Züsli. Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the Grand City Council are carried by the City Council. The regular election of the City Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of Lucerne allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council. The delegates are selected by means of a system ofMajorz. The mayor is elected as such as well by public election while the heads of the other directorates are assigned by the collegiate.[29]
As of 1 September 2024[update], Luzern's City Council is made up of one representative of the SP (Social Democratic Party, who is also the mayor) and one of the GPS (Green Party), both elected in first round, and another one of the SP, and one each of Centre (Centre Party, former CVP) and FDP (FDP.The Liberals), all elected on second round. This gives the left parties a majority. The last regular election were held on 28 April/8 June 2024. Except for the mayor, all other councilors are newly electeds.[30]
The City Council (Stadtrat) of Luzern[29] 2024-2028
TheGrosse Stadtrat of Luzern for the mandate period of 2024-2028
JUSO (2.10%)
jg (2.10%)
SP (27.1%)
GPS (16.7%)
glp (8.30%)
Centre (14.6%)
FDP (16.7%)
SVP (12.5%)
The Grand City Council (Grosser Stadtrat) holdslegislative power. It is made up of 48 members, with elections held every four years. The Grand City Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the City Council and the administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system ofproportional representation.
The sessions of the Grand City Council are public. Unlike members of the City Council, members of the Grand City Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Luzern allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the Grand City Council. The parliament holds its meetings in theRathaus (Town Hall) am Kornmarkt.[31]
In the2019 federal election for theSwiss National Council the most popular party was theSP which received 25.0% (-0.7) of the vote. The next five most popular parties were theGreen Party (20.8%, +7.4), theSVP (15.0%, -4.6), theCVP (14.1%, 0),FDP (13.0%, -2.5), theglp (10.5%, +1.8).[33] In the federal election a total of 25,836 votes were cast, and thevoter turnout was 49.5%.[34]
In the 2015 election for theSwiss National Council the most popular party was theSP which received 25.8% of the vote. The next five most popular parties were theSVP (19.5%), theFDP (15.4%), theCVP (14.1%), theGPS (13.3%), and theGLP (8.9%). In the federal election, a total of 26,521 voters were cast, and the voter turnout was 49.48%.[35]
Lucerne has a population (as of 31 December 2021) of 82,771[42] As of 2021, 20,508 or 24.78% of the population was made up of foreign nationals, of which 18.22% are fromEurope, 3.63% fromAsia, 1.85% fromAfrica and 0.97% fromAmerica.[43] Over the last 10 years the population has grown at a rate of 1.2%.
Most of the population (as of 2020) speakGerman (83.26%), withEnglish with 7.45%, as well asItalian (5.06%) andSerbo-Croatian (3.80%) being respectively second, third and fourth most common first languages reported. Following, there arePortuguese (2.81%),Spanish (2.53%),Albanian (2.25%) andFrench (2.11%) language speakers.[44]
The age distribution in Lucerne is (as of 2013[update]); 12,916 people or 15.7% of the population is 0–19 years old. 26,381 people or 33.8% are 20–39 years old, and 25,863 people or 32.1% are 40–64 years old. The senior population distribution is 10,530 people or 13.1% are 65–79 years old, 4,208 or 5.2% are 80–89 years old and 900 people or 1.1% of the population are 90+ years old.[45]
In Lucerne about 73.6% of the population (between age 25–64) have completed either non-mandatoryupper secondary education or additional higher education (either university or aFachhochschule).
As of 2000[update] there are 30,586 households, of which 15,452 households (or about 50.5%) contain only a single individual. 853 or about 2.8% are large households, with at least five members.[46] As of 2000[update] there were 5,707 inhabited buildings in the municipality, of which 4,050 were built only as housing, and 1,657 weremixed use buildings. There were 1,152 single family homes, 348 double family homes, and 2,550 multi-family homes in the municipality. Most homes were either two (787) or three (1,468) story structures. There were only 74 single story buildings and 1,721 four or more story buildings.[46]
The city grew up around Sankt Leodegar Abbey, founded in AD 840, and remained stronglyRoman Catholic into the 21st century. By 1850, 96.9% of the population was Catholic, in 1900 it was 81.9% and in 1950 it was still 72.3%. In the 2000 census[update] the religious membership of Lucerne was: 35,682 (60%) Roman Catholic, 9,227 (15.5%) Protestant, with an additional 1,979 (3.33%) who were of some other Christian denominations; 1,824 individuals (3.07% of the population) Muslim; 196 individuals (0.33% of the population) Jewish. Of the remainder, 1,073 (1.8%) individuals were another religion; 6,310 (10.61%) stated they do not belong to any organized religion; and 3,205 (5.39%) did not answer the question.[46]
As of 2012[update], there were a total of 77,641 people employed in the municipality. Of these, a total of 166 people worked in 53 businesses in theprimary economic sector. Thesecondary sector employed 7,326 workers in 666 separate businesses. Finally, thetertiary sector provided 70,149 jobs in 6,929 businesses. In 2013 a total of 11.0% of the population received social assistance.[47] As of 2000[update] 51.7% of the population of the municipality were employed in some capacity. At the same time, women made up 47.9% of the workforce.[46]
Lucerne is home to a number of major Swiss companies, includingAlpTransit Gotthard rail link,Schindler Group,Chronoswiss,Emmi, and theLuzerner Kantonalbank.Suva, one of Switzerland's oldest accident insurance companies, is also based in Lucerne, as is theUniversity of Lucerne, the youngest of Switzerland's traditional universities. An international company is theEF Education First. Thanks to its continuous tax-cutting policies, Lucerne has become Switzerland's most business-friendly canton. As of 2012[update] Lucerne offers Switzerland's lowest corporate tax rate at cantonal level.[48]
One of the first export oriented branches was the production ofscythes from the 14th century onwards.[49] Lucerne imported iron and steel and the cities blacksmiths produced scythes which were exported to western Switzerland and northern Italy.[49] The workshops of the blacksmiths were located in the outskirts of the city due to fire concerns.[49] The workshops at the Krienbach creek included hammers moved by watermills.[49] Furthermore, Lucerne also offers very moderate personal income tax rates. In a recent published study of BAK Basel Economics taxation index 2012, Lucerne made it to the 4th place with an only marginally 2% higher tax rate compared to the top canton in this comparison.[50]
The Chapel Bridge andJesuit Church St. Francis Xavier on the Reuss
Since the city straddles theReuss where it drains the lake, it has a number of bridges. These include the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a 204 m (669 ft) long wooden covered bridge originally built in 1333, the oldest covered bridge inEurope, although much of it had to be replaced after a fire on 18 August 1993, allegedly caused by a discarded cigarette. 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 Lucerne's history.
Downriver, between the Kasernenplatz and the Mühlenplatz, theSpreuer Bridge (Spreuerbrücke orMühlenbrücke, Mill Bridge) zigzags across the Reuss. Constructed in 1408, it features a series of medieval-style 17th century plague paintings byKaspar Meglinger (de) titledDance of Death (Totentanzzyklus). The bridge has a small chapel in the middle that was added in 1568.
View of the old town centre and Lake Lucerne from one of the watch towers ("Männliturm")
Old Town Lucerne is mainly located just north of the Reuss, and still has several finehalf-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 theReuss.
The twin needle towers of theChurch of St. Leodegar, which was named after the city's patron saint, sit on a small hill just above the lake front. Originally built in 735, the present structure was erected in 1633 in the lateRenaissance style. However, the towers are surviving remnants of an earlier structure. The interior is richly decorated. The church is popularly called theHofkirche (in German) and is known locally as theHofchile (in Swiss-German).
TheRichard Wagner Museum is found on the lake atTribschen and is dedicated to the composerRichard Wagner.[51] Wagner lived in Lucerne from 1866 to 1872 and his former villa now hosts the museum dedicated to him.[11]
Since plans for the new culture and convention centre arose in the late 1980s, Lucerne has found a balance between the so-called established culture andalternative culture. A consensus was reached that culminated in a culture compromise (Kulturkompromiss). The established culture comprises theLucerne Culture and Congress Centre (KKL), the city theater (Luzerner Theater) and, in a broader sense, smaller establishments such as the Kleintheater, founded bycomedianEmil Steinberger, a Lucerne native, or Stadtkeller, a music restaurant in the city's old town. KKL houses a concert hall as well as the Museum of Art Lucerne (Kunstmuseum Luzern).
Alternative culture took place mostly on the premises of a former tube factory, which became known asBoa. Other localities for alternative culture have since emerged in the same inner city area as Boa. Initially, Boa staged various plays, but concerts became more and more common; this new use of the building clashed with the development ofapartment buildings on nearby lots of land. Due to possible noise pollution, Boa was closed and a replacement in a less heavily inhabited area is currently under construction. Critics claimed though that the new establishment would not meet the requirements for an alternative culture.
Südpol is a center for performing arts in Lucerne presenting music-, dance- and theatre-events. The house at the foot ofPilatus opened in November 2008.
Every year, towards the end of winter,Fasnacht (Carnival) breaks out in the streets, alleyways and squares of the old town. This is a glittering outdoor party, where chaos and merriment reign, and nothing is as it normally is. Strange characters in fantastic masks and costumes make their way through the alleyways, whileGuggenmusiken (carnival bands) blow their instruments in joyful cacophony and thousands of bizarrely clad people sing and dance away the winter.Lucerne Fasnacht [de], based on religious, Catholic backgrounds, starts every year on the Thursday beforeAschermittwoch (Ash Wednesday) at 5 am with a detonation calledUrknall (Big Bang), the signal to begin theTagwache (wake-up procession).[52] There are big parades in the afternoon onSchmotzige Donnerstag (literally:Lardy Thursday)[53] and the following Monday, calledGüdismontag (literally:Paunch Monday), which attract tens of thousands of people. Lucerne's Carnival ends with a crowning finish onGüdisdienstag (literally:Paunch Tuesday) evening with theMonstercorso, a tremendous parade ofGuggenmusiken, lights and lanterns with even a larger audience. Rather recently a fourth Fasnacht day has been introduced on the Saturday between the other Fasnacht days, theRüüdige Samstag while mainly several indoor balls take place. From dusk till dawn on the evenings ofSchmotzige Donnerstag,Güdismontag, and after theMonstercorso many bands wander through the historical part of the city playing typical Fasnacht tunes. Until midnight, the historical part of the city usually is packed with people participating. A large part of the audience are also dressed up in costumes, even a majority in the evenings.
The city hosts various renowned festivals throughout the year. TheLucerne Festival for classical music takes place in the summer. Its orchestra, theLucerne Festival Orchestra, is hand-picked from some of the finest instrumentalists in the world. In June yearly the pop music festival B-Sides takes place in Lucerne. It focuses on international acts inalternative music,indie rock,experimental rock and othercutting edge andleft field artistic musical genres. In July, theBlue Balls Festival brings jazz, blues and punk music to the lake promenade and halls of the Culture and Convention Center. TheLucerne Blues Festival is another musical festival which usually takes place in November. Since spring 2004, Lucerne has hosted theFestival Rose d'Or for television entertainment. And in April, the well-established comics festivalFumetto attracts an international audience.
Being the cultural center of a rather rural region, Lucerne regularly holds differentfolklore festivals, such asLucerne Cheese Festival, held annually. In 2004, Lucerne was the focus ofSwiss Wrestling fans when it had hosted the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine festival (Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest), which takes place every three years in a different location. A national music festival (Eidgenössiches Musikfest) attracted marching bands from all parts of Switzerland in 2006. In summer 2008, theyodelling festival (Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest) had a similar impact.
Lucerne bus stationLuzern Bahnhof in front of the railway stationPaddle steamersSchiller,Stadt Luzern andGallia in the harbour of Lucerne
AfterFerdinand von Zeppelin landed hisairship in Lucerne in 1909,[54] the city became a pioneer for the aeronautical industry in Switzerland. In February 1910 the country's first (and after theDELAG of Germany the second in the world[55]) air transport company was founded,[56] in July the same year then also the firstairship hangar at Tribschenmoos.[57] The company provided flights with airships until 1914 without notable accidents.[55]
Lucerne's city transit system is fully integrated into the coherent and integrated fare network system calledpassepartout encompassing all kind of public transport in the cantons ofLucerne,Obwalden, andNidwalden.[60]
There are severalfootball clubs throughout the city. The most successful one isFC Luzern which plays in Switzerland's premier league (Swiss Super League). The club plays its home matches at the newSwissporarena, with a capacity of 16,800.
The city's mainhockey team is the HC Luzern which plays in theSwiss Second League, the fourth tier of Swiss hockey. They play their home games in the 5,000-seat Eiszentrum Luzern.
In the past, Lucerne also produced national successes in men'shandball and women'svolleyball andsoftball.
Having a long tradition ofequestrian sports, Lucerne has co-hosted CSIO Switzerland, an international equestrianshow jumping event, until it left entirely forSt. Gallen in 2006. Since then, the Lucerne Equestrian Masters replaced it. There is also an annualhorse racing event, usually taking place in August.
Lucerne annually hosts the final leg of theWorld Rowing Cup onRotsee, a very silent lake at its northern outskirts. NumerousWorld Rowing Championships have been held in Lucerne including the inaugural World Championships of1962 and then the regattas of1974,1982 and2001.
^The official language in any municipality in German-speaking Switzerland is always German. However, the colloquial Lucerne dialect ofSwiss German is not directlymutually intelligible with Standard German. In Swiss governmental contexts, "German" refers to any form of the German language, hence both spoken Swiss German andSwiss Standard German are accepted languages of state. All written and official communications are in Swiss Standard German, while spoken language may vary depending on the circumstance (diglossia).
^"NR - Ergebnisse Parteien (Gemeinden) (INT1)"(CSV) (in German, French, and Italian). Neuchâtel, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO. 28 November 2019. Retrieved2020-05-18 – via opendata.swiss.
^"NR - Wahlbeteiligung (Gemeinden) (INT1)"(CSV) (official statistics) (in German, French, and Italian). Neuchâtel, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Statistical Office, FSO. 28 November 2019. Retrieved2020-05-18 – via opendata.swiss.
^"Ausländische Personen nach Nationalität und Status Ende 2013" [Foreign persons by nationality and status at the end of 2013 – City of Lucerne].LUSTAT (Official statistics) (in German). Lucerne, Switzerland: Canton of Lucerne. 19 August 2014. Archived fromthe original on 23 November 2014. Retrieved2014-11-23.
^"LUSTAT Statistik Luzern".LUSTAT (Official statistics) (in German). Lucerne, Switzerland: Canton of Lucerne. Retrieved2025-05-21.
^abcd"Gemeindeübersicht - LUSTAT Statistik Luzern" [Municipality Overview - LUSTAT Statistics Lucerne].LUSTAT (Official statistics) (in German). Lucerne, Switzerland: Canton of Lucerne. Archived fromthe original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved2025-05-21.
^"Regional portraits" (Official site). Neuchâtel, Switzerland: Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Archived fromthe original on 2016-09-11. Retrieved2025-05-21.
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