Chapel Bridge

One of the main attractions of Lucerne is The Chapel Bridge, otherwise known as Kapellbrücke. Located in the heart of town, you can’t miss this wooden bridge over the Reuss River. The Chapel Bridge is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe and the oldest surviving truss bridge in the world!

What I love most about the bridge is the gorgeous interior triangular painted murals that you see as you walk on the bridge.  Although the bridge is from the 14th century, the paintings are actually done by a 17th century Roman Catholic painter called Hans Heinrich Wägmann. It depicts the life of the local community in the 12th to 17th century period with the explanation of each painting printed below each panel. Most of it depicted the life of Lucerne’s patron saint St Legar but there were others depicted the city life as well as the coat of arms of the council members.