Lucerne, the most populous city in Central Switzerland

Published on: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:07:54 -0700

http://www.merchantissimo.com/ . Lucerne (Luzern, Lucerna), the most populous city in Central Switzerland, promoted by www.merchantissimo.com - Lucerne from Wikipedia Lucerne (German: Luzern, Italian Lucerna) is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and seat of the district with the same name. With a population of 57,890, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland and focal point of the region. The city's agglomeration consists of 17 municipalities in three cantons with an overall population of nearly 200,00. Due to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne is traditionally considered first and foremost as a tourist destination. One of the city's famous landmarks is Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge first built in the 14th century. Old Town Lucerne is located just north of the Reuss River, and still has several fine half-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 the Reuss River.Bertel Thorvaldsen's famous carving of a dying lion (the Lion Monument, or Löwendenkmal) is found in a small park just off Lowenplatz. The carving commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when the mob stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. The Swiss Transport Museum is a large and comprehensive museum exhibiting all forms of transport, including locomotives, automobiles, ships, and aircraft. The Culture and Convention Center beside the lake in the center of the city was designed by Jean Nouvel. The center has one of the world's leading concert halls, with acoustics by Russell Johnson. Every year, towards the end of winter, Carnival breaks out in the streets, alleyways and squares of the old town. The city hosts various renowned festivals throughout the year. The Lucerne Festival for classical music takes place in summer and around Easter. Its orchestra, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is hand-picked from some of the finest instrumentalists in the world. In July, Blue Balls Festival brings jazz, blues and funk music to the lake promenade and halls of the Culture and Convention Center. The Lucerne Blues Festival is another musical festival which usually takes place in November. Since spring 2004, Lucerne hosts the Festival Rose d'Or for television entertainment. And in April, the well-established comics festival Fumetto attracts an international audience.

Author: merchantissimo
Keywords: Lucerne Luzern Lucerna Switzerland lake city pilatus rigi canton Vierwaldstättersee festival summer place carnival Blues avventura panorama cittadino crociera cultura destinazione eventi luoghi particolari museo natura diario di viaggio
Added: October 20, 2008