After some time wandering through the polished sidewalks of Zürich and the quiet streets of Bern, Lucerne hits differently. It’s not just another Swiss postcard. It feels like Northern Italy flung itself up against the Swiss Alps for a quick detour, then decided to stay.
Snow-clad peaks stand sentinel in every direction. The town clings to its history with medieval walls and sharp towers, mixing with contemporary waterfront promenades that catch the light just right in the late afternoon, when the sun turns everything golden and lazy.
Kapellbrücke in Lucerne.
But no place oozes history like Kapellbrücke. Crossing the river Reuss, it’s the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe as well as the world’s oldest surviving truss bridge. I walk across the covered bridge with its octagonal water tower, along creaky wooden planks reminding me of the age.
Wägmann’s 17th century panels.
The bridge dates back to 1333, though a fire in 1993 burned away much of what had been built. The roof features triangular panels painted by Heinrich Wägmann in the 17th century. They are blackened by flame and stubborn as a scar.
I could sit by the river for hours. Watch the light shift on these panels, on the river, on the faces of people crossing, like a water current of time.
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