The painted vault
A full Baroque ceiling uninterrupted by columns.
Ank Kumar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ank Kumar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 최광모 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 최광모 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Switzerland's first great Baroque church: the Jesuits built it between 1666 and 1677 on the bank of the Reuss facing the old town, its twin towers under onion domes forming, with the Chapel Bridge, the classic image of Lucerne. The facade is plain compared with the interior — and the interior is the point: white, pink and gold under a fully painted vault, with stucco shaped as shells and leaves, a vast high altar and one of the largest church organs in Switzerland. The space is wide and bright, uninterrupted by columns, which is why the effect strikes hardest straight through the door. A side chapel holds the robe of Brother Klaus, Switzerland's national saint (Nicholas of Flüe). Entry is free and its position is directly on the bank opposite the bridge — visited in twenty minutes on the river walk, with free or token-priced organ recitals in summer.
A full Baroque ceiling uninterrupted by columns.
Switzerland's national saint in a side chapel.
Bahnhofstrasse 11a, Lucerne
Franciscan ChurchOn a quiet little square a few metres from the crush of the old town stands **on2 minutes walk4.8
Rosengart CollectionThe story of a father-daughter art-dealing pair who loved what they sold and kep3 minutes walk4.8
Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke)Europe's oldest covered wooden bridge and very nearly its most photographed stru3 minutes walk4.6
Spreuer BridgeThe 'other' wooden bridge — and many leave preferring it: the Spreuer (1408) dow4 minutes walk4.8
Musegg Wall & TowersAbove the old town runs Lucerne's medieval wall nearly whole — 870 metres of 1405 minutes walk4.5Nicholas of Flüe (1417-1487), a Swiss hermit whose mediation in 1481 saved the Confederation from breaking apart; he is Switzerland's national patron and a saint since 1947.