2 LUCERNE. Inns Schwan -a new house, in the best situation, and good; - Balances (Waage)—an oldestablished house, tolerable, and moderate charges. Eschmans' Pension is recommended; the master obliging, charge 6 fr. a day. Rössli (Cheval). There is a good pension, overlooking the lake close to the Kapel Brücke. Lucerne, chief town of the canton, and one of the three Vororter, or alternate seats of the Diet, lies at the N. W. extremity of the lake of Lucerne, and is divided into two parts by the river Reuss, which here issues out of it. Its population is about 8339, all Roman Catholics, except about 200 Protestants. Lucerne is the residence of the Papal Nuncio. It is not a place of any considerable trade or manufactures, but their absence is more than compensated by the beautiful scenery in which it is situated on the borders of the finest and most interesting of the Swiss lakes, between the giant Pilatus and Righi, and in sight of the snowy Alps of Schwytz and Engelberg. The town is still surrounded by a very picturesque circle of feudal watchtowers, and is walled in on the land side; but its chief peculiarity is the number and length of its bridges. The lowest, or Mill-bridge, is hung with paintings of the Dance of Death; the second, or Reussbrücke, is the only one uncovered and passable for carriages; the upper, or Kapell-brücke runs in a slanting direction across the mouth of the Reuss, whose clear and pellucid sea-green waters may here be surveyed to great advantage, as they rush beneath it with the swiftness of a mountain-torrent. Against the timbers supporting the roof of this bridge are suspended 77 pictures; those seen in crossing from the rt. to the 1. bank represent the life and acts of St. Leger and St. Maurice, Lucerne's patron saints. The subjects of those seen in the opposite direction are taken from Swiss history, and are not without some merits. Near the middle of the Kapell-brücke, rising out of the water, stands a very picturesque watchtower, called Wasserthurm, forming a link of the feudal fortifications of the town. It is said to have once served as a light-house (Lucerna) to boats entering the Reuss, and hence some have derived the present name of Lucerne. The Hofbrücke, the longest of all the bridges, was originally 1380 feet long, but has lost 300 feet since 1835. It extends across the lake, within a few feet of the shore to the church of St. Leodegar, and the Convent and Court (Hof) of its former abbots. The paintings in its roof illustrate the Scripture. "Lessons for every heart; a Bible for all eyes. It commands a charming view of the lake, the Alps, the Righi, and the Pilatus. Near the middle of it is an index printed on a board, the diverging lines of which point to the different mountains and peaks visible from hence, each of which is named for the convenience of strangers. considerable portion of ground has been gained from the lake by curtailing this bridge, and throwing out a sort of quay; the new inn of the A Swan stands on this space. This is also the landing-place of the steam`boat. In churches and other public buildings Lucerne has no very prominent objects, though several which are highly pleasing as monuments of the progress of the nation, and of its manners and customs, exist. The church of St. Leger, also called Hof-, or Stifts-kirche, is a modern building, except the two towers, which date from 1506. The adjoining churchyard is filled with quaint old monuments, and the view from the cloister windows is fine, but similar to that from the bridge.. Thorwaldsen's Lion. 39 Diet, whose sittings are open to the public. The Council of the canton also assembles in it. General Pfyffer's model (in relief) of a part of Switzerland may interest those who desire to trace on it their past or future wanderings; but it is not so extensive nor so well made as that at Zurich; besides which 1 fr. 50 c. is demanded for admissiondecidedly more than it is worth. The Gothic Fountains which are to be observed in all parts of Switzerland are here of singular beauty and originality. The English church service is performed every Sunday at 11 and 6 in the German Protestant church; the landlord of the Swan hotel, though a Roman Catholic, having given a stipend of 40l. a year to the clergyman. At Meyer's shop, near the Swan, books, prints, panoramas, and maps, relating to Switzerland, may be had in great profusion. It One of the most interesting of the sights of Lucerne is, without doubt, the Monument to the memory of the Swiss Guards, who fell while defending the Royal Family of France in the bloody massacre of the French Revolution, August 10, 1792. is situated in the garden of Gen. Pfyffer, less than of a mile outside the Weggis gate. The design is by Thorwaldsen, executed by Ahorn, a sculptor of Constance. It represents a lion, of colossal size, wounded to death, with a spear sticking in his The Arsenal, near the gate leading to Berne, is one of those venerable repositories common to the chief towns of all the cantons, in which are deposited the muskets, artillery, &c. for arming their contingent of troops. It contains some rusty suits of ancient armour, and several historical relics and trophies of Swiss valour, such as the yellow Austrian banner, and many pennons of knights and nobles taken at the battle of Sem.. pach; the coat of mail stripped from the body of Duke Leopold of Austria, who fell there; the iron cravat, lined with sharp spikes, destined for the neck of Gundoldingen, the Schultheiss and general of the men of Lucerne, who died in the hour of victory. A sword of William Tell, and a battle-axe, borne by Ulric Zwingli, at the battle of Cappel (p. 37), are of very doubtful authenticity though the malice of the ene-side, yet endeavouring in his last gasp mies of Zwingli may have led to the to protect from injury a shield bearassertion that he took active part in ing the fleur-de-lis of the Bourbons, the fight, it is believed that he assisted which he holds in his paws. his countrymen merely with exhort- figure, hewn out of the living sandations and consolations of religion. stone rock, is 28 ft. long, and 18 Several Turkish standards deposited high, and its execution merits very here were captured at the battle of great praise. Beneath it are carved Lepanto, by a knight of Malta, who the names of the soldiers and officers was a native of Lucerne. who fell in defending the Tuileries, Aug. 10, 1792. The loyalty and fidelity of this brave band, who thus sacrificed their lives for their adopted The Stadthaus, on the rt. bank of the Reuss, a little below the Kapellbrücke, is the place of meeting of the The sovereign, almost make us forget that they were mercenaries, especially standing forward as they did, as the protectors of Louis and his family, at a moment when deserted, or attacked, by his natural defenders, his own subjects. There is a quiet solitude and shade about the spot which is particularly pleasing and refreshing. The rocks around are mantled with fern and creepers, forming a natural framework to the monument; and a streamlet of clear water, trickling down from the top of the rock, is received into a basin-shaped hollow below it, forming a mirror in which the sculpture is reflected. One of the very few survivors of the Swiss Guard, dressed in its red uniform, now rusty and patched, resides in a cottage hard by, as guardian of the monument, and cicerone to the stranger. The cloth for the altar of the little chapel adjoining was embroidered expressly for it by the Duchess d'Angoulême. There are many pretty walks and points of view near Lucerne; one of the best is the villa called Allenwinden, perched on the top of a hill outside the Weggis gate, from which it may be reached in a walk of 15 minutes, by a path winding up the hill outside the town walls. Gibraltar,‚—a height on the opposite side of the Reuss, outside the Basle gate, also commands a fine prospect. Mount Righi, so celebrated for its panoramic view, is about 10 miles from Lucerne (i. e. the base of the mountain). To reach the summit will occupy 5 or 6 hours, exclusive of stoppages, from Lucerne, (or 4 or 5 hours taking the steamer to Weggis,) so that travellers will regulate their departure accordingly, remembering that it is of much consequence to arrive at the top before sunset. There are several ways to it, by land, to Kussnacht and Arth; or by water to Kussnacht and Weggis. (See Route 17.) Travellers going from Lucerne Mount Pilatus. to the Oberland may send round their carriage to meet them at Thun. (See p. 72.) No one should leave Lucerne without exploring the beauties of its Lake -called in German Vierwaldstadter See the grandest in Europe in point of scenery, particularly the farther end of it, called the bay of Uri; and much additional pleasure will be derived if the traveller who understands German will take Schiller's "Wilhelm Tell" as a pocket companion, in which admirable poem so many of the scenes are localized. (Route 18.) Those who intend to traverse the lake, and visit the Righi, and to return afterwards to Lucerne, should combine the two expeditions, which may be effected in two days, thus go by land to Arth, or by water to Weggis, descending next day on the opposite side, and embarking on the lake, either at Weggis or Brunnen; pass up the bay of Uri, at least as far as Tell's chapel, and return by water to Lucerne the 2nd evening. A steamer plies regularly between Lucerne and Fluellen, calling at the intermediate places. Further particulars respecting it, and the hire of boats, which may be found on the shore opposite the Swan inn, are given in Route 18. DILIGENCES go daily from Lucerne to Aarau; Bâle; Berne, by Summiswald; Berne, by Entlibuch; Soleure; Zug and Zurich; 4 times aweek to Schwytz, by Kussnacht and Arth. Mount Pilate is sometimes ascended from Lucerne, but the journey is difficult, occupying 6 hours; the greater part must be performed on foot, and the view from the top is decidedly inferior to that from the Righi. The path up it from Lucerne proceeds in a S. W. direction, by the side of a wild torrent, which, when swollen by rain, is very injurious to the habitations on its banks; and, in the last century, destroyed Route 16. many houses in the town. Skirting the base of the mountain, it passes through the hamlets of Krienz, Obernau, and Herrgotteswald; then, crossing a ridge covered with pasturages, descends into the Alpine valley of Eigenthal. Beyond this, the path becomes steeper, and is only practicable on foot. It takes nearly 5 hours to reach the Chalets on the Bründlen or Bründlis Alp,—the highest habitation, occupied by shepherds only in the summer months. The traveller may here obtain shelter for the night, but nothing deserving the name of accommodation. There is a very remarkable echo near the Bründlis Alp. Above this vegetation ceases, and naked rock succeeds. A cave in the face of the precipice, near this, is called St. Dominick's Hole, from a fancied resemblance in a stone, standing near its mouth, to a monk. The cavern was reached, in 1814, by a chamois hunter, Ignacius Matt, at the risk of his life. The Tomlishorn, the highest peak of the mountain, is 5766 feet above the lake, and 7116 feet above the sea level; but the view from it is said to be inferior to that from another peak, the Esel (ass). There is another path from the summit down the opposite side of the mountain, by which Alpnach may be reached in 3 hours. According to a wild tradition of considerable antiquity, this mountain derives its name from Pilate, the wicked governor of Judæa, who, having been banished to Gaul by Tiberius, wandered about among the mountains, stricken by conscience, until he ended his miserable existence by throwing himself into a lake on the top of the Pilatus. The mountain, in consequence, labours under a very bad reputation. From its position as an outlier, or advanced guard of the chain of the Alps, it collects all the clouds which float over the plains from the W. and N.; and it is remarked that almost all the storms which burst upon the lake of Lucerne gather and brew on its summit. This almost perpetual assembling of clouds was long attributed by the superstitious to the unquiet spirit still hovering round the sunken body, which, when disturbed by any intruder, especially by the casting of stones into the lake, revenged itself by sending storms, and darkness, and hail on the surrounding district. So prevalent was the belief in this superstition, even down to times comparatively recent, that the government of Lucerne forbade the ascent of the mountain, and the naturalist Conrad Gessner, in 1555, was obliged to provide himself with a special order removing the interdict in his case, to enable him to carry on his researches upon the mountain. The lake, the source of all this terror, turns out, from recent investigation, to be beyond the limits of canton Lucerne, and on the opposite or the E. side of the Tomlishorn; so that the Town Council had no jurisdiction over that part of the mountain which belongs to Alpnach. It is rather a pond than a lake, is dried up the greater part of the year, and reduced to a heap of snow, which being melted in the height of summer, furnishes water to the herds upon the mountain, which resort to it to slake their thirst. There is no other lake upon the mountain. According to some, the name Pilatus is only a corruption of Pileatus (capped), arising from the cap of clouds which rarely quits its barren brow, and which is sometimes seen rising from it like steam from a cauldron. The mountain consists, from its base to its summit, of nummulite limestone and sandstone; the strata incline to the S., and abound in fossil remains, especially near the summit, around the Bründlis Alp and the Castelen Alp. Nummulites, as large as a crown-piece, are found near the top. 42 Route 17.- Lucerne to the Righi The Hollow Way. LUCERNE TO SCHWYTZ AND BRUNNEN, INCLUDING THE FALL OF THE ROSS BERG AND THE ASCENT OF THE RIGHI. To Schwytz 6 stunden = 22 Eng. miles. To Arth, at the N. base of the Righi, 4 stunden = 15 Eng. miles. There is a good carriage-road all the way to Schwytz, traversed by a diligence 4 times a-week. The shortest way from Lucerne to the top of the Righi is to go by water to Weggis, and there commence the ascent. In this way the summit may be reached in 4 or 5 hours from Lucerne, and even less by the aid of the steamer. The best point of ascent, however, is Arth, which may be reached as follows, returning by Weggis. The road to Küssnacht runs nearly all the way in sight of the lake of Lucerne, and of the Alps of Engelberg and Berne beyond. On a headland at the angle of the green bay of Küssnacht, stands the ruined castle of New Habsburg. 2 Küssnacht. Inns: Schwarzer ; Adler (Aigle Noir); Rössli (Cheval) lies at the bottom of this bay, at the foot of the Righi, whose top may be reached from hence by a steep path in 8 hours (see p. 49). Mules, guides, chars, and boats may be hired here. On the slope of the Righi, above the village, a ruined wall may be seen, which goes by the name - of Gessler's Castle, and is believed to be the one to which he was repairing when shot by Tell. This event oecurred in the celebrated Hollow Way (Chemin creux Hohle Gasse), through which the road to Arth passes, about a mile out of Küssnacht. It is a narrow green lane, overhung with trees growing from the high banks on each side. Here Tell, after escaping from Gessler's boat on the lake of Lucerne, lay in wait for his enemy, and shot him as he passed, from behind a tree, with his unerring arrow. It is somewhat remarkable that recent researches into the archives of Küssnacht have clearly proved that the ruin called Gessler's Castle never belonged to him. At the end of the lane, by the road-side, stands Tell's Chapel. By a singular anomaly, a place of worship originally dedicated to "The Fourteen Helpers in Need" (Our Saviour, the Virgin, and Apostles), now commemorates a deed of blood, which tradition, and its supposed connection with the origin of Swiss liberty, appear to have sanctified in the eyes of the people, so that mass is periodically said in it, while it is kept in constant repair, and is adorned with rude frescoes, representing Gessler's death and other historical events. A little way past the chapel the lake of Zug appears in sight, and the road continues by its margin round the hem of the Righi, through Im mensee to 12 Arth- Inn: Schwartzer Adler (Black Eagle); complaints have been® made of wilful detention at this inn, not creditable to its owners; travellers usually halt here while the horses are getting ready to carry them up the mountain. Arth, a village of 2129 inhabitants, occupies a charming position on the lake of Zug, between the base of the Righi and the Rossberg. There is a Capu chin convent here. In the Treasury of the Church some interesting curiosities are preserved, including an ancient and richly-worked crucifix and chalice of silver, which belonged to Charles the Bold, and were left by him to his Swiss conquerors on the field of Gransom, besides some gaudy priests' robes. The Rossberg, a dangerous neigh bour, threatens no danger to Arth, because its strata slope away from the village. The Righi is a source of considerable gain to Arth, from the number of guides and mules furnished |