European Trip #6: Lucerne, Switzerland

European trip musings #6: Same day in Lucerne, Switzerland. One of the most visited sights in Lucerne is its foot bridges, in particular, the Chapel Bridge and the Spreuer Bridge. After seeing pics on social media of these bridges and the surrounding city, this was a must on my sightseeing list. Built in 1333 and 1408, respectively, these bridges serve as pathways over the Reuss, the river that runs into and out of Lake Lucerne. Not only pathways for crossing the river, they are also a form of an indoor/outdoor art museum. Over 200 triangular paintings were originally hung in these wooden bridges. These paintings depicted scenes of Swiss history (Chapel Bridge) and the Dance of Death (Spreuer Bridge). While we took some pics in front of the Chapel Bridge with its iconic stone tower, we did not get a chance to walk across it, but we did walk across the Spreuer Bridge. Walking across the Spreuer Bridge gives a closer look of the needle dam or weir. Our good friend Wikipedia says “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. Individual needles can be added or removed by hand to constrict the flow of the river, forming a sluice.” Lucerne’s needle dam was one of the early needle dams, and was built between 1859-1861, to prevent flooding. #needledam #reuss #spreuerbrücke #lucernehistory #lucerneswitzerland