sûrn`), Ger. Luzern (ltsĕrn`), canton (1993 pop. 331,800), 576 sq mi (1,492 sq km), central Switzerland. Drained by the Reuss and Kleine Emme rivers, Lucerne is mainly an agricultural and pastoral region, with orchards and large forested areas. It contains the Lake of Sempach and borders on the Lake of Lucerne. There are several resort areas, notably along the northwest shores of the Lake of Lucerne. The population is mainly German-speaking and Roman Catholic. Manufactures of the canton include machinery, textiles, metallurgic goods, electrical equipment, paper, and wood products. Boatbuilding and automobile assembly are also important. One of the Four Forest Cantons Four Forest Cantons, the, Ger. Die Vier Waldstätten, in central Switzerland, the cantons of Unterwalden , Schwyz , Uri , and Lucerne , the first Swiss communities to win their freedom against the Hapsburgs...... Click the link for more information. , its history is that of its capital,
Lucerne (1990 pop. 59,115), which is on both banks of the Reuss where it flows out of the Lake of Lucerne. It is one of the largest resorts (mainly summer) in Switzerland and relies on tourism as the staple of its economy. A narrow-gauge rail line links Lucerne to the winter sports center of Engelberg Engelberg (ĕng`əlbĕrkh), town, Obwalden half canton, central Switzerland.
..... Click the link for more information. . The city grew around the monastery of St. Leodegar, founded in the 8th cent. An important trade center on the St. Gotthard route, it became a Hapsburg possession in 1291. Lucerne joined the Swiss Confederation in 1332 and gained full freedom after the battle of Sempach Sempach (zĕm`päkh), town (1990 pop. 3,096), Lucerne canton, N central Switzerland, on the Lake of Sempach.
..... Click the link for more information. (1386). It became capital of the Helvetic Republic Helvetic Republic (hĕlvē`tĭk), 1798–1803, Swiss state established under French auspices. In Sept.
..... Click the link for more information. in 1798. Lucerne was one of the chief towns of the Sonderbund Sonderbund (zôn`dərb
nt) [Ger.
..... Click the link for more information. (1845–47). The noted monument, the Lion of Lucerne, designed by A. B. Thorvaldsen Thorvaldsen or Thorwaldsen, Albert Bertel
..... Click the link for more information. , was erected (1820–21) in memory of the Swiss Guards Swiss Guards, Swiss mercenaries who fought in various European armies from the 15th cent. until the 19th cent. These mercenaries, who were not volunteers, were put at the disposal of foreign powers by treaties (called capitulations) between the Swiss diet, the
..... Click the link for more information. killed in Paris in 1792. Other points of interest are a mainly 17th-century church (Hofkirche), the Glacier Garden, the cantonal buildings, and several museums. The city's Chapel Bridge, built in 1333 and purported to be Europe's oldest and longest (219 yards) covered wooden bridge, long stood as a city symbol. In 1993 a fire damaged or destroyed much of it; it reopened in 1994 following reconstruction. Lucerne hosts an annual music festival, which moved into a striking lakeside cultural center in 1997.
Lucerne
German LuzernCity (pop., 2000: 59,496), central Switzerland. Located southwest of Zürich, on Lake Lucerne and its Reuss River outlet, it developed around an 8th-century monastery. It joined the Swiss Confederation in 1332. A stronghold of Catholicism during the Reformation, it later took part in the Sonderbund war. It is a tourist centre, with its medieval walls, towers, and covered bridges. Among its many monuments is the famous Lion of Lucerne, carved in rock, which commemorates the Swiss Guards slain while defending the Tuileries Palace in Paris in 1792.
Lucerne
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|