Lucerne
Lucerne names 3 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Lucerne loo-sern', the capital of the Swiss canton of that name
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
loo-sern', the capital of the Swiss canton of that name. It lies at the outlet of the Lake of Lucerne. It is still inclosed by medieval walls and watch towers erected in 1385. An amphitheater of hills behind the town, with the lake in front, and the Rigi, Pilatus, and the mountains of Uri in full view, give the city a position of surpassing beauty. The Reuss is a clear, emerald green stream. It leaves the lake with a velocity surpassed only by that of the Rhone at Geneva. It is crossed by four bridges. The newest is an iron structure designed to meet the commercial necessities of the city. The bridges of interest, however, are narrow wooden affairs that cross the stream on piling. They are inclosed and roofed. The interior of the Chapel Bridge is painted with 154 scenes from the lives of the patron saints of Lucerne and from Swiss history. At the middle of the river the bridge passes a picturesque old water tower in which the municipal archives are arranged. It is said that this tower was once called the Lucerna or lighthouse, whence the name of the city. The Mill Bridge is also roofed. The interior is likewise adorned with paintings known as The Dance of Death . The river and lake are enlivened with swans and half tame waterfowl. One hundred thousand tourists are said to visit the city annually. The surrounding scenery is too attractive to permit much attention to be given to the antiquities of the city. An old city hall contains good carving. A historical art and industrial museum contains relics of pre-historic and medieval periods, a collection of antiquities from the lake dwellings , and many other interesting exhibits. The present population of the city is about 25,000. For a description of the Lion of Lucerne, see THORWALDSEN.
Lucerne Lake of, a famous lake of Switzerland
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
Lake of, a famous lake of Switzerland. It is bounded by the four forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Unterwalden, and Lucerne. It lies at a level of 1,406 feet above the sea. It is nearly cruciform in shape, with the Bay of Lucerne at the top and the bay of Uri at the foot. The extreme length is about twenty-three miles. The extent of the arms is about twelve and one-half miles. The general width is from one to two miles. The greatest depth is 900 feet. Steamers from Lucerne make the grand tour of the lake daily. The road of Axenstrasse, cut in places through the solid rock along the eastern shore of the lake, is one of the most celebrated lake drives in Europe. The lake is so narrow and lies so deep among the mountains that the winds shift with dangerous frequency, making navigation unsafe except for experienced boatmen. The banks of the lake are intimately associated with the legend of William Tell. A storm of the sort mentioned, it may be remembered, was the means at one time of his escape from his captors. See Lucerne ; Tell ; Uri ; St. Gothard; Rigi , etc.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
LAKE OF, called also VIERWALDSTÄTTERSEE ("Lake of the Four Forest Cantons" - Uri, Unterwalden, Schwyz, and Lucerne), one of the most beautiful sheets of water in Europe. In shape it resembles roughly a cross with a crumpled stem; its shores are mostly steep and rocky. Length from Lucerne to Flüelen, 23 miles; average breadth, about 1½ miles; area, 44 square miles. The chief places on its banks are Lucerne, Küssnacht, and Alpnach at the N. W., and Flüelen near its S. W. extremity. It forms part of the St. Gothard route, and is navigated by steamboats, but is liable to sudden and violent storms. See TELL, WILLIAM.
Lucerne . See Alfalfa
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
. See Alfalfa
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The Chapel Bridge that Aiton's 1910 account describes, "painted with 154 scenes from the lives of the patron saints of Lucerne and from Swiss history," caught fire on the night of 17-18 August 1993; most of the panels were destroyed and only about thirty survived, and the bridge was rebuilt within a year with copies and gaps. The city that then had "about 25,000" people now has roughly 80,000, and the "one hundred thousand tourists... said to visit the city annually" have become millions, many of them arriving by coach and cruise-linked rail rather than by lake steamer. The lake, the Rigi and Pilatus railways and the roofed Mill Bridge with its Dance of Death are much as described, though the William Tell story that Aiton treats as near-history is now generally read as legend rather than record. The third sense, "Lucerne. See Alfalfa," has faded in American English, where alfalfa won out, while lucerne remains the ordinary word for the crop in Britain, Australia and South Africa.
Written for this edition, 2026.