Page 588 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

586  GERM AN Y , A USTRIA , AND SWITZERLAND

Environs
Ten minutes from the central
train station along the lake to the
east is Switzerland’s most visited
museum, the Swiss Museum of
Transport. Highly interactive and
fun for families, the museum has
both plane and helicopter flight
simulators, as well as trains,
boats, and cable cars.
About 28 km (17 miles) east of
Lucerne, Schwyz is the capital
of one of the original three
forest cantons, and has given
the country its name. The
charter detailing the 1291
Oath of Allegiance which
marks the beginning of the
Swiss Confederation is housed
in the town’s Bundesbrief-
museum. More interesting is
Breathtaking Lake Lucerne and its surrounding mountain peaks the Ital Reding Hofstatt, a fine
17th-century mansion on the
8 Lucerne built in 1333, and formed part northwest side of town, built
of the city’s original boundary. on the proceeds of one of
Lucerne. * 79,000. £ @
n Zentralstrasse 5 (041-227 1717). Much of the bridge, including Switzerland’s first exports –
_ Lucerne Festival Sommer (mid- its decorative paintings, had mercenaries. The fighting
Aug–mid-Sep). ∑ luzern.com to be renovated following a skills of the men of Schwyz
destructive fire in 1993. Also were highly prized by warring
The city of Lucerne makes a nearby is the Rosengart European rulers until well into
good base for touring most Collection, with over 200 works the 18th century.
of central Switzerland. The by various classic Modernist Pilatus and Rigi mountains
surrounding countryside is artists such as Klee, Picasso, tower over the area and both
possibly the most stereotypically and Cézanne. are easily accessible. Mount Rigi
Swiss – crystal-clear lakes ringed The Rosengart now houses has the distinction of being the
with snow-capped mountains, the collection of the former first mountain in Europe to have
hemmed with lush pastures in Picasso Museum. The works a rail line constructed to the
summer, and criss-crossed with include photographs of Picasso, summit. This starts at Vitznau on
cog-wheel railroads. This is also taken during the last 20 years of the lake shore. Mount Pilatus to
the heartland of the Swiss his life by British photographer the south is higher and gives
Confederation – the three David Douglas Duncan – unrivaled views of the Alps. Its
forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz, images which further illuminate peak can be reached either by
and Unterwalden, which swore the artist’s character. cable car from Kriens or cog-
the original Oath of Allegiance wheel railroad from Alpnachstad.
in 1291 (see p578), border the E Rosengart Collection
shores of Lake Lucerne. Today, Pilatusstrasse 10. Tel 041-220 1660. E Swiss Museum of Transport
the region remains one of Open daily. Closed Feb 27, Mar 3 & 4. Lidostrasse 5. Tel 041-370 4444.
the most conservative parts & 8 Sun am. ∑ rosengart.ch Open daily. & ∑ verkehrshaus.ch
of Switzerland.
The town’s historic center
stands on the north bank of the
Reuss river, which flows out of
Lake Lucerne at its westernmost
corner. Stretches of the ancient
city wall and its watchtowers can
be clearly seen bounding a ridge
that marks the northern edge
of the old town. The cobbled
streets and shady squares are
bustling both day and night.
The Kapellbrücke is the city’s
most famous symbol. Spanning
the river at the lake end, this
covered wooden bridge was The 17th-century mansion of Ital Reding Hofstatt in Schwyz
For hotels and restaurants see p594 and p595

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