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What do you do when you are in Switzerland and have eaten too many Swiss chocolates?
Get some exercise.
You can climb a mountain; Mount Rigis and Mount Pilatus are nearby. If it’s winter, you can ski; downhill or cross country are popular. If you are not keen on going too far, however, you can take a walk uphill from the city center, to the imposing medieval ramparts, the Museggmauer.
The Museggmauer has guarded Lucerne since the 14th century, has withstood the elements and the test of time and now attracts thousands of visitors each year. Well preserved, the wall measures over 2,854 feet in length and almost five feet wide. The height varies depending on the terrain, but averages approximately 27 feet. The wall has nine gates that are still intact, with four open to the public and a large part of the wall is navigable.
I must confess, I had made a note, while doing research on Lucerne, that this was something important to see, however, I wasn’t quite sure what it is that we were going to see…besides a wall which has been described as the defining line between city and country. We headed uphill until we reached the Museggmauer, admiring its impressive length and stature.
Spying a stairway up into one of the towers, the Schirmerturm, we decided to make the climb to see what it contained. The first towers, Dachliturm, Allenwindenturm, Pulverturm, to the east of Schirmerturm, are still standing, although at the time, I had understood that no access to the wall or towers is allowed past Schirmerturm. There wasn’t much to see inside the tower, but we peered out from the windows and admired views of the city. Realizing that we could walk outside the tower, we discovered a walkway on top of the wall leading to the other towers to the west. What I later learned was that although we weren’t able to walk along the top of the tower wall to the eastern towers, the towers are accessible, each offering information on the Wey-Guild, the Vereinigung Luzerner Maskenfreunde (VLM), Club of Luzern Mask, the Tambouren Club and the Luzern Carpenters Union.
The Zytturm was next along the wall and contains the oldest clock in Lucerne. Constructed by Hans Luter in 1535, the clock chimes one minute before any other clock in the city. Despite the main clock’s maturity, the stone weights and pendulum still keep time precisely. We were able to move throughout the tower and see the inner workings of the timepiece as well as examine the exhibition of historic clocks dating from between the late Middle Ages and the 20th century.
The third tower open to the public is the Wachturm or the Watch Tower. The tower that stood here originally, the Heuturm, was destroyed in 1701 when lightening struck the tower, igniting the gunpowder stored within. The explosion damaged the adjacent wall, houses in town and five people were killed. The Watchtower was built immediately after the disaster, but only given its name in 1768, when the guard room was moved from the Luegislandegg to this one. Today, you can glean information from the ornithologic society about the live birds around the Museggmauer and the protection of bats in the district of Lucerne.
Passing the Lugislandturm, we continued on our way to the final tower open to the public, the Mannliturm. Of the four accessible towers, this was my favorite. Making our way up the 138 steps to the top, we discovered the statue of a little soldier (Mannli) which sits atop one of the two spires and is quite famous throughout Switzerland. It was here, from this ancient tower built in 1327, that we had the best views of the city, the surrounding mountains and the sparkling lake.
Exiting the Mannliturm, we were able to observe the last tower on the wall, the Nolliturm from the outside while on our way back into town.
The Museggmauer is truly one of the gems of Lucerne. With its free admission and rich history, it is something not to be missed, especially for its birds’ eye views of the beautiful Swiss city.
Make the climb.
Take the walk.
Enjoy the nine towers.
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Museggmauer
- https://www.museggmauer.ch/
- Address: Christine Zemp Gsponer, Schwanenplatz 4, 6004 Luzern
- Hours: 0800-1900, April 2 until November 1
- Admission: free