INTERESTING SIGHTS

Hotel MONOPOL Lucerne and Hotel ALPINA Lucerne informations about interesting sights in and around Lucerne:

KKL Luzern (Culture and Convention Center Lucerne)
The KKL Luzern was built in record time, five years, between 1995 and 2000. The work of French architect Jean Nouvel and American acoustician Russell Johnson replaced Armin Meili’s (1933/34) building. The construction is divided into three parts and made up of the Concert Hall, a multifunctional hall (the Lucerne Hall) as well as the Convention Center where the Lucerne Museum of Art is also located. In the few years since its construction, the KKL Luzern has acquired an international reputation. This is thanks to the exceptional architecture and by the fact that it houses, from the acoustical point of view, one of the best concert halls in the world. It also attracts the interest of strolling tourists who might not otherwise partake of activities in the building, thanks to its optimal location and its unmistakable form. The Concert Hall opened in 1998 at the beginning of the International Music Festival (now called the Lucerne Festival). The final inauguration of the KKL Luzern took place in March 2000. The opening of the Lucerne Museum of Art followed in June 2000. One of the most important features of the KKL Luzern is that all kinds of different events may take place under the same gigantic roof. Not only separately and next door to each other but – with transparent boundaries – also together. These events encompass the fields of culture, conventions, and gastronomy. There is an equally large variety of events possible within each of these domains. The building stands out especially because of its huge roof, which has become the trademark of the KKL Luzern. The destination of Lucerne has acquired a new trademark thanks to this particularity. It is the ideal component to compliment the natural landmark Mount Pilatus and the historical trademark Chapel Bridge. The area is situated between the lake of Lucerne and the Old Town, just a few hundred meters from the famous Chapel Bridge. Firstclass luxury hotels from the turn of the century lie across the water from the site and the train station is a direct neighbor. The large post office building is just as close, located behind the building. The site – set in the scenery of mountains, lake and an incredibly beautiful landscape – forms a large rectangle and is slightly set back from the lakeshore. Europa Square is positioned between the lake and the KKL Luzern with the well known Wagenbach fountain.

THE CHAPEL BRIDGE
Constructed in first half of the 14th century as a part of the city's fortifications and named after St. Peter's Chapel, which is located nearby. The paintings that were added in the 17th century illustrate scenes of Swiss and local history, including the biographies of the city's patron saints, St. Leodegar and St. Maurice.

THE WATER TOWER
Lucerne’s water tower is a powerful yet attractive construction. The old stork’s nest, which hasn’t been occupied in a century, isn’t its only trademark. The tower is octagonal in form, a shape that Kaiser Friedrich II loved and favoured for his most beautiful buildings. From its roof to the ground, the water tower measures 34.5 m. Believe it or not, it is actually thicker than it is high; its circumference is 38 m. It is thought that the tower was built on dry land in the first half of the 14th century. In its long history, the enormous structure has served various purposes. First it was a defence and watchtower, and later it was used as an archive, treasure and preparation chamber. With walls measuring 4.5 m thick, the lowest room was used as a prison cell. Its interior was completely dark. The poor criminals who came there had to sit on a toggle and be lowered into the cell through a hole. As in countless other towers, there was a torture chamber, too. Today, the middle floor is home to the headquarters of the Lucerne Artillery Association. Meanwhile, a colony of Alpine Swifts has been roosting under the rooftop for decades. When these black and white birds return from their winter home in Africa, they bring springtime back to Lucerne.

THE LION MONUMENT
One of the world's most famous monuments is «The dying Lion of Lucerne». It was carved out of natural rock in memory of the heroic deaths of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain described the Lion of Lucerne as the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world.

Hotel ALPINA Lucerne, directly at the train station Lucerne and KKL Culture and Convention Centre, in the middle of the city centre and the points of interest. The well-tended 3-Star Hotel *** ALPINA Lucerne.