Wordsworth's Lucerne

The north bank of the Reuss is home to the Old Town’s compact cluster of medieval houses, with Mühlenplatz, Weinmarkt, Hirschenplatz and Kornmarkt forming an ensemble of cobbled, fountained squares ringed by colourful facades.

Kapellplatz, at the bridgehead of the Kapellbrücke, encircles the tiny eighteenth-century St-Peterskapelle, built over a predecessor dating from as early as 1178. Some 150m west is Kornmarkt, site of the medieval public marketplace. On one side, overlooking the riverside market area of Unter der Egg, is the huge Rathaus, completed in 1606 in Italian Renaissance style but crowned with an oddly incongruous Emmentaler-style roof. The market atmosphere survives today, with stalls selling vegetables, fish and flowers beneath the arcades along Unter der Egg doing a roaring trade every Tuesday and Saturday morning. Kornmarktgasse runs west to the atmospheric frescoed Weinmarkt, where Passion Plays were staged in the late Middle Ages.

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Just off Kornmarkt, at Furrengasse 21, is Am Rhyn-Haus, an old restored building now housing the fascinating Picasso Museum (daily: April to October 10am to 6pm; November to March 11am to 1pm and 2 to 4pm; Fr.6; SMP). The whole collection was donated to the city by the Rosengart family, friends of the artist. The ground floor is given over to temporary exhibits, while the first upper floor displays a series of Picasso’s paintings, including the wonderful Femme et Chien Jouant (1953) and La Coiffure (1954), as well as drawings, ceramics, sketches, and etchings, one of the most striking of which is the tender Portrait A.R. (Angela Rosengart). Upper floors hold the highlight of the museum, nearly 200 intimate and often brilliant photographs of the artist’s private life taken by American photographer David Douglas Duncan from 1956 until Picasso’s death in 1973.

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Known as a universal symbol of courage and strength, the lion was designed by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorwaldsen and was hewn into the sandstone cliff between 1820 and 1821.

Depicting a dying lion with its paw poised over the shield bearing the fleur-de-lys of the Bourbon king, a broken lance pierces its heart, signifying its loyalty in protecting the shield to its death.

The effort to erect the monument was initiated by Ch. Karl Pfyffer of Altishofen and was made possible by donations from the comrades and friends from the different regiments. It was executed by Lukas Ahorn, who hewn the image into the rock face. The niche in the rock wall measures about 43 feet and the animal alone is 30 feet. Inscribed in Latin are the following words: HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI or THE LOYALTY AND BRAVERY OF SWISS.

And the names of the martyred soldiers, including the 26 officers and 16 soldiers who were sacrificed, are also inscribed below the lion.

The sculpture is set amidst tranquil foliage and a gently rippling pool in front, a perfect setting for contemplation.

Adjacent to the Löwendenkmal is The Gletschergarten (Glacier Garden - www.gletschergarten.ch), which holds within its grounds a museum displaying old relief maps of Luzern and Switzerland, including a set of geological potholes retelling the subtropical ocean beach that was Luzern some 20 million years ago. Also housed in the museum is the original stucco model of the lion.

The Alpineum opposite is a relic from a bygone era, with static models of Alpine scenes behind a glass display which no doubt will spark the imagination of our great-grandparents, but today they come across as a little dry.

On Löwenplatz, a huge circular building houses the Bourbaki Panorama, recently re-opened after renovations. The panorama itself is a huge mural depicting the retreat of the French Eastern Army under General Bourbaki into Switzerland during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 to 1871.

From the waterfront, walk along Alpenstrasse or Lõwenstrasse towards Löwenplatz. And from the square, facing the Bourbaki Panorama, take a left turn walking about 1 minute uphill on Denkmalstrasse, passing a block of souvenir shops, and then reaching the monument.

The Tourist Information Centre offers a guided city walk around Lucerne, which will tell you the important, humorous, and interesting facts about Lucerne's history, churches, bridges, narrow streets, towers, and squares, as well as its trademark-the Chapel Bridge with Water Tower.

Duration: approximately 2 hours

The guided city walk is available daily from May 1 to October 31, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays during November 1 to April 30.

You can also purchase a special ticket that includes sightseeing and a city tour on the City Train (approximately 3 hours) for CHF 24.