LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND
Lucerne (German: Luzern (help·info)) is a city in central Switzerland. It is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and seat of the district with the same name. With a population of 57,533, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland and focal point of the region. The city's agglomeration consists of 17 municipalities in three cantons with an overall population of nearly 200,000.
The river Reuss in the old part of Lucerne.Due to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi, Lucerne is traditionally considered first and foremost as a tourist destination. One of the city's famous landmarks is Chapel Bridge (Kappelbrücke), a wooden bridge from the 14th Century.
The city grew from a small fishing village of ancient origins on the shores of Lake Lucerne with the founding of the Benedictine monastery of St. Leodegar in around AD 700. The Latin name "Luciaria" appears in historical records from around AD 840.
In August 2006, the city government agreed on a merger with the adjacent municipality of Littau. The proposition has not gone through parliament yet and before the merger becomes effective, the people of Lucerne and Littau will decide on that matter in a referendum.
The city hosts the Lucerne Festival for classical music each year in late summer. Lucerne has also hosted the Festival Rose d'Or in the spring since 2004. Each July Lucerne hosts the Blue Balls Festival, consiting of jazz, blues and funk music.
Luzern boasts a developed and well-run transport network, with the main operator being VBL which runs both buses and trolleybuses in the city. Other operators, such as Auto AG Rothenberg provide bus services to the neighbouring towns and villages. The city enjoys excellent links to the rest of Switzerland, with rail services operated by SBB and Zentralbahn.
Every year, towards the end of winter, Carnival (Fasnacht) breaks out in the streets, alleyways and squares of the old town. This is a glittering outdoor party, where chaos and merriness reign and nothing is as it normally is. Strange characters in fantastic masks and costumes make their way through the alleyways, while carnival bands (Guggenmusigen) blow their instruments in joyful cacophony and thousands of bizarrely clad people sing and dance away the winter. Lucerne Carnival starts every year on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday with a big bang. There are big parades on Dirty Thursday and the following Monday, called Fat Monday, which attract tens of thousands of people. Lucerne's Carnival ends with a crowning finish on Fat Tuesday evening with a tremendous parade of big bands, lights and lanterns. After the parade, all the bands wander through the city playing joyful music.
The city hosts various renowned festivals throughout the year. The Lucerne Festival for classical music takes place in summer. Its orchestra, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, is hand-picked from some of the finest instrumentalists in the world. In July, the Blue Balls Festival brings jazz, blues and funk music to the lake promenade and halls of the Culture and Convention Center. The Lucerne Blues Festival is another musical festival which usually takes place in November. Since spring 2004, Lucerne has hosted the Festival Rose d'Or for television entertainment. And in April, the well-established comics festival Fumetto attracts an international audience.
Being the cultural center of a rather rural region, Lucerne regularly holds different folklore festivals, such as Lucerne Cheese Festival, held annually. In 2004, Lucerne was the focus of Swiss Wrestling fans when it had hosted the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine festival (Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest), which takes place every three years in a different location. A national music festival (Eidgenössiches Musikfest) attracted marching bands from all parts of Switzerland in 2006. In summer 2008, the jodelling festival (Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest) is expected to have similar impact.
Lucerne has an average of 138.1 days of rain per year and on average receives 1,171 mm (46.1 in) of percipitation. The wettest month is June during which time Lucerne receives an average of 153 mm (6 in) of percipitation. During this month there is percipitation for an average of 14.2 days. The driest month of the year is February with an average of 61 mm (2.4 in) of percipitation over 14.2 days.
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