Lake Lucerne
Encyclopedia
Lake Lucerne is a lake
in central Switzerland
and the fourth largest in the country.
The lake has a complicated shape, with bends and arms reaching from the city of Lucerne
into the mountains. It has a total area of 114 km² (44 sq mi), an elevation of 434 m (1,424 ft), and a maximum depth of 214 m (702 ft). Its volume is 11.8 km³. Much of the shoreline rises steeply into mountains up to 1,500 m above the lake, resulting in many picturesque views including those of Mount Rigi and Mount Pilatus.
The Reuss River
enters the lake at Flüelen
(in the canton of Uri, the part called Urnersee) and exits at Lucerne. The lake also receives the Muota (at Brunnen) Engelberger Aa
(at Buochs), the Sarner Aa
(at Alpnachstad).
It is possible to circumnavigate the lake by road, though the route is slow, twisted, and goes through tunnels part of the way. Dozens of steamers ply between the different towns on the lake. It is a popular tourist destination, both for native Swiss and foreigners, and there are many hotels and resorts along the shores. In addition, the meadow of the Rütli, traditional site of the founding of the Swiss Confederation, is on the southeast shore of the lake. A 35 km commemorative walkway, the Swiss Path
, was built around the lake to celebrate the country's 700th anniversary.
s of Uri
, Schwyz
, and Unterwalden
(which today is divided into the Cantons of Obwalden
and Nidwalden
), as well as the canton of Lucerne
, thus the name Vierwaldstättersee. Many of the oldest communities of Switzerland are along the shore, including Küssnacht
, Weggis
, Vitznau
, Gersau
, Brunnen
, Altdorf
, Buochs
, and Treib.
Lake Lucerne is singularly irregular and appears to lie in four different valleys, all related to the conformation of the adjoining mountains. The central portion of the lake lies in two parallel valleys whose direction is from west to east, the one lying north, the other south of the ridge of the Bürgenstock
. These are connected through a narrow strait, scarcely one kilometre wide, between the two rocky promontories called respectively Untere and Obere Nase. It is not unlikely that the southern of these two divisions of the lake—called Buochser See—formerly extended to the west over the isthmus whereon stands the town of Stans
, thus forming an island of the Bürgenstock. The west end of the main branch of the lake, whence a comparatively shallow bay extends to the town of Lucerne, is intersected obliquely by a deep trench whose south-west end is occupied by the branch called Alpnacher See, while the north-east branch forms the long Bay of Küssnacht
, Küssnachter See. These both lie in the direct line of a valley that stretches with scarcely a break parallel to the chain of the Bernese Alps
from Interlaken
to Lake Zug. At the eastern end of the Buochser See, where the containing walls of the lake-valley are directed from east to west, it is joined at an acute angle by the Bay of Uri, or Urner See, lying in the northern prolongation of the deep cleft that gives a passage to the Reuss, between the Bernese chain and the Alps of N. Switzerland.
The Bay of Uri occupies the northernmost and deepest portion of the great cleft of the Valley of the Reuss, which has cut through the Alpine ranges from the St Gotthard Pass to the neighbourhood of Schwyz
. From its eastern shore the mountains rise in almost bare walls of rock to a height of from 3000 ft (914.4 m) to 4000 ft (1,219.2 m) above the water. The two highest summits are the Fronalpstock
and the Rophaien (2078 m). Between them the steep glen or ravine of Riemenstalden descends to Sisikon
, the only village with Flüelen
on that side of the lake. On the opposite or western shore, the mountains attain still greater dimensions. The Nieder Bauen Chulm is succeeded by the Oberbauenstock, and farther south, above the ridge of the Scharti, appear the snowy peaks of the Uri Rotstock and Brunnistock
(2,952 m). In the centre opens the valley of the Reuss, backed by the rugged summits of the Urner
and Glarus Alps
.
The breadth of these various sections of the lake is very variable, but is usually between one and two miles (3 km). The level of the lake is maintained by a pioneering needle dam
in the Reuss River in Lucerne, just upstream from the Spreuerbrücke. The lake's surface, whose mean height above the sea is 434 metres, is the lowest point of the cantons of Uri, Obwalden and Nidwalden.
¹ At the entry of the Reuss River
: the western, later southern shore.
Gioacchino Rossini uses this in his Overture to William Tell Section A: Sunrise over the Alps.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in central Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and the fourth largest in the country.
The lake has a complicated shape, with bends and arms reaching from the city of Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
into the mountains. It has a total area of 114 km² (44 sq mi), an elevation of 434 m (1,424 ft), and a maximum depth of 214 m (702 ft). Its volume is 11.8 km³. Much of the shoreline rises steeply into mountains up to 1,500 m above the lake, resulting in many picturesque views including those of Mount Rigi and Mount Pilatus.
The Reuss River
Reuss River
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland...
enters the lake at Flüelen
Flüelen
Flüelen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Flüelen has an area, , of . Of this area, 22% is used for agricultural purposes, while 55.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.1% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
(in the canton of Uri, the part called Urnersee) and exits at Lucerne. The lake also receives the Muota (at Brunnen) Engelberger Aa
Engelberger Aa
Engelberger Aa is a river in Switzerland. It rises west of Surenenpass in the Canton of Uri, flows through the valley of Engelberg and Nidwalden. At Buochs, it empties into Lake Lucerne. It is a tributary of the river Reuss....
(at Buochs), the Sarner Aa
Sarner Aa
The Sarner Aa is a river in Switzerland. It drains the Lungerersee and is a tributary of Lake Lucerne, which is drained by the Reuss River....
(at Alpnachstad).
It is possible to circumnavigate the lake by road, though the route is slow, twisted, and goes through tunnels part of the way. Dozens of steamers ply between the different towns on the lake. It is a popular tourist destination, both for native Swiss and foreigners, and there are many hotels and resorts along the shores. In addition, the meadow of the Rütli, traditional site of the founding of the Swiss Confederation, is on the southeast shore of the lake. A 35 km commemorative walkway, the Swiss Path
Swiss Path
The Swiss Path is the name given to a special national path in central Switzerland opened in 1991. It makes a loop around one arm of Lake Uri, starting in Rütli and passing through Bauen, Flüelen, Sisikon and Morschach, finishing at Brunnen...
, was built around the lake to celebrate the country's 700th anniversary.
Geography
Lake Lucerne borders on the three original Swiss cantonCantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
s of Uri
Canton of Uri
Uri is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and a founding member of the Swiss Confederation. It is located in Central Switzerland. The canton's territory covers the valley of the Reuss River between Lake Lucerne and the St. Gotthard Pass. German is the primary language spoken in Uri...
, Schwyz
Schwyz
The town of is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.The Federal Charter of 1291 or Bundesbrief, the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the Bundesbriefmuseum.-History of the toponym:...
, and Unterwalden
Unterwalden
Unterwalden is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or Talschaften, now organized as two half-cantons, an upper part, Obwalden, and a lower part, Nidwalden.Unterwalden was one of the three participants...
(which today is divided into the Cantons of Obwalden
Obwalden
Obwalden is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population is 33,997 of which 4,043 are foreigners. Its capital is Sarnen. The canton contains the geographical centre of Switzerland.-History:...
and Nidwalden
Nidwalden
Nidwalden is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population is 40,287 of which 4,046 are foreigners. The capital is Stans.-History:...
), as well as the canton of Lucerne
Canton of Lucerne
Lucerne is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the centre of Switzerland. The population of the canton is . , the population included 57,268 foreigners, or about 15.8% of the total population. The cantonal capital is Lucerne.-History:...
, thus the name Vierwaldstättersee. Many of the oldest communities of Switzerland are along the shore, including Küssnacht
Küssnacht
Küssnacht am Rigi is a district and municipality in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland, consisting of three villages: Küssnacht, Immensee and Merlischachen...
, Weggis
Weggis
Weggis is a municipality in the district of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.It forms part of the northern shore of Lake Lucerne. The official language is German.-History:In about 800 the monastery of Pfäfers acquired the court of Wattawis...
, Vitznau
Vitznau
Vitznau is a municipality in the district of Lucerne in the canton of Lucerne in Switzerland.-History:Vitznau was first mentioned in 998. In the 19th century it became a popular destination for tourism, especially from England; the imposing Park Hotel Vitznau west of town dates from the...
, Gersau
Gersau
Gersau is a municipality and district in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland, sitting on the shores of Lake Lucerne. Gersau was for many centuries an independent micro-state in permanent alliance with the Swiss Confederation.-History:...
, Brunnen
Brunnen
Brunnen is a resort on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, part of the municipality Ingenbohl , at .Brunnen has a cablecar that goes to the Urmiberg, a part of the Rigi offering wonderful views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps....
, Altdorf
Altdorf, Switzerland
Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. The municipality covers an area of and is located at a height of above sea-level, to the right of the river Reuss.-Location:...
, Buochs
Buochs
Buochs is a municipality in the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.-History:Buochs is first mentioned in 1124 as Boches. In 1184 it was mentioned as Buoches in 1210 as Buches, and in 1229 as Buchs.-Geography:...
, and Treib.
Bürgenstock
The Bürgenstock is a mountain above the Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. It is a very famous viewpoint because the mountain is almost completely surrounded by the lake and the summit is accessible by the Hammetschwand Elevator.- External links :*...
. These are connected through a narrow strait, scarcely one kilometre wide, between the two rocky promontories called respectively Untere and Obere Nase. It is not unlikely that the southern of these two divisions of the lake—called Buochser See—formerly extended to the west over the isthmus whereon stands the town of Stans
Stans
Stans is the capital of the canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland.-History:Stans is one of the oldest settlements in the entire Nidwalden valley. The first traces of human settlement date to the 2nd Century BC...
, thus forming an island of the Bürgenstock. The west end of the main branch of the lake, whence a comparatively shallow bay extends to the town of Lucerne, is intersected obliquely by a deep trench whose south-west end is occupied by the branch called Alpnacher See, while the north-east branch forms the long Bay of Küssnacht
Küssnacht
Küssnacht am Rigi is a district and municipality in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland, consisting of three villages: Küssnacht, Immensee and Merlischachen...
, Küssnachter See. These both lie in the direct line of a valley that stretches with scarcely a break parallel to the chain of the Bernese Alps
Bernese Alps
The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Lucerne, Obwalden, Fribourg and...
from Interlaken
Interlaken
Interlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...
to Lake Zug. At the eastern end of the Buochser See, where the containing walls of the lake-valley are directed from east to west, it is joined at an acute angle by the Bay of Uri, or Urner See, lying in the northern prolongation of the deep cleft that gives a passage to the Reuss, between the Bernese chain and the Alps of N. Switzerland.
Schwyz
The town of is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.The Federal Charter of 1291 or Bundesbrief, the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the Bundesbriefmuseum.-History of the toponym:...
. From its eastern shore the mountains rise in almost bare walls of rock to a height of from 3000 ft (914.4 m) to 4000 ft (1,219.2 m) above the water. The two highest summits are the Fronalpstock
Fronalpstock
The Fronalpstock is a mountain located in Switzerland, specifically, in the canton of Schwyz, at 1,922 meters above sea level. The summit is accessible by cable car from the village of Stoos....
and the Rophaien (2078 m). Between them the steep glen or ravine of Riemenstalden descends to Sisikon
Sisikon
Sisikon is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Sisikon has an area, , of . Of this area, 30.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 44% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 1.2% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, the only village with Flüelen
Flüelen
Flüelen is a municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland.-Geography:Flüelen has an area, , of . Of this area, 22% is used for agricultural purposes, while 55.1% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 6.1% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
on that side of the lake. On the opposite or western shore, the mountains attain still greater dimensions. The Nieder Bauen Chulm is succeeded by the Oberbauenstock, and farther south, above the ridge of the Scharti, appear the snowy peaks of the Uri Rotstock and Brunnistock
Brunnistock
Brunnistock is a mountain in the Urner Alps, located in the Canton of Uri, Switzerland.-External links:*...
(2,952 m). In the centre opens the valley of the Reuss, backed by the rugged summits of the Urner
Urner Alps
The Urner Alps are a mountain range in central Switzerland in the western part of the Alps. They extend into the cantons of Obwalden, Valais, Lucerne, Bern, Uri and Nidwalden and are bordered by the Bernese Alps to the west, the Lepontine Alps to the south and the Glarus Alps to the east.The Urner...
and Glarus Alps
Glarus Alps
The Glarus Alps are a mountain range in central Switzerland. They extend from the Oberalp Pass to the Klausen Pass, and are bordered by the Urner Alps to the west, the Lepontine Alps to the south and the Appenzell Alps to the northeast...
.
The breadth of these various sections of the lake is very variable, but is usually between one and two miles (3 km). The level of the lake is maintained by a pioneering needle dam
Needle dam
A needle dam is a weir designed to maintain the level or flow of a river through the use of thin "needles" of wood. The needles are leaned against a solid frame and are not intended to be water-tight...
in the Reuss River in Lucerne, just upstream from the Spreuerbrücke. The lake's surface, whose mean height above the sea is 434 metres, is the lowest point of the cantons of Uri, Obwalden and Nidwalden.
Settlements
| West shore ¹ | East shore|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
¹ At the entry of the Reuss River
Reuss River
The Reuss is a river in Switzerland. With a length of and a drainage basin of , it is the fourth largest river in Switzerland...
: the western, later southern shore.
Cultural references
- Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata derives its name from an 1832 description of the first movement by music critic Ludwig RellstabLudwig RellstabHeinrich Friedrich Ludwig Rellstab was a German poet and music critic. He was born and died in Berlin. He was the son of the music publisher and composer Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab....
, who compared it to moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne.
Gioacchino Rossini uses this in his Overture to William Tell Section A: Sunrise over the Alps.
External links
- Waterlevels Lake Lucerne at BrunnenBrunnenBrunnen is a resort on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, part of the municipality Ingenbohl , at .Brunnen has a cablecar that goes to the Urmiberg, a part of the Rigi offering wonderful views of Lake Lucerne and the Alps....
- Waterlevels Lake Lucerne at LucerneLucerneLucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
- Lake Lucerne Region