Lucerne

Lucerne (German: Luzern, Swiss German: Lozärn, French: Lucerne, Italian: Lucerna, Romansh: Lucerna) is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and seat of the district with the same name. The city has a population of about 60,000. Lucerne is the biggest and most important city in Central Switzerland. The city's metropolitan area consists of 17 municipalities in three cantons. It has an overall population of nearly 200,000 people. Geography Lucerne is located in central Switzerland on the northern end of Lake Lucerne. The river Reuss flows from the lake through the city. The city is surrounded by hills and mountains, for example the mountains Pilatus and Rigi. History Lucerne joined the old Swiss confederation in 1332. Since 2010, Littau is part of the city. Economy Due to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) within sight of the mountains Pilatus and Rigi, Lucerne is mainly a tourist destination. One of the city's famous landmarks is Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge from the 14th century. Many tourists choose Lucerne as their place to stay because the city is close to the Alps in the center of the country. Schifffahrtsgesellschaft des Vierwaldstättersees is the shipping company founded in 1870 that runs ships on Lake Lucerne. Lucerne railway station is the main station of central Switzerland. Culture Lucerne has a traditional Fasnacht (carneval) celebration which takes place every spring. Gallery References Other websites Media related to Lucerne at Wikimedia Commons City of Lucerne official website Luzern Tourismus AG - tourist office Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine