Description of the attraction
The Chapel Bridge was named after the chapel of St. Peter, from which, according to legend, the city of Lucerne began. The chapel is located in the Old Town on the square near the Chapelbrücke bridge, which is considered the oldest wooden bridge not only in Switzerland, but throughout Europe.
The bridge was built in 1365. It was once part of the city's fortifications, and now it is one of the hallmarks of Lucerne. The bridge is 202.9 meters long and crosses the Royce diagonally. Initially, it was longer, but in 1835, due to the shallowing of the river and the development of its banks, about 75 meters of the bridge was dismantled.
Under the roof of the bridge, along its entire length, there are 111 triangular panels with bright frescoes depicting the most important events in the life of the city. All of them are numbered, and many contain poetic lines written by R. Kuzat and Rudolf von Sonnenberg. Particularly interesting are paintings # 3, where you can see images of the first city buildings, and # 4, which reflects the construction of a local monastery. Some of the frescoes tell about the life of Saint Leodegar and Saint Mauritius.
All murals were created at the beginning of the 17th century and were gradually restored after a fire that happened in 1993.
The triangular paintings that adorn the Chapelbrücke and Sprobrücke bridges in Lucerne are unique. This decor has not been used anywhere else in Europe. The colorful frescoes were also under the roof of another local bridge, the Hofbrücke, which was dismantled in the 19th century.
Towards the southern end of the Chapel Bridge is the Water Tower, which used to serve as a dungeon and later as a city treasury. Now there is a nice souvenir shop here.
